When a journalist for a college paper breaks into a research lab, the test-subject baboon — infected with a “rage virus” — breaks free. Bitten and infected by the virus, the reporter goes on a rampage across campus, infecting others and causing a panic. Primal Rage, an Italian-American production, is part of the animals-gone-wrong branch of 80s sci-fi horror. But don’t let the premise fool you; Primal Rage is more than just schlock.
I was scrolling through Shudder and, struggling to decide on what to watch, settled on Primal Rage. I saw that the cover art had a baboon on it, and it was from the 80s. That said, I wasn’t expecting very much and knew at some point I’d probably tune out to switch to my phone. Surprisingly, I didn’t need or want to do that! I was eased in by the likeable characters and cheeky concept of journalism students unearthing such a wild plague on campus. I also appreciated how modern the characters seemed; one of the girls has had an abortion (and is neither shamed nor ashamed about it), and the main men are genuinely nice to the women (as opposed to the stereotypical frat jocks who just want to assault them).
Then we get to the meat of the story: a scientist working towards reactivating dead brain cells doing tests on a baboon. Though it’s clearly a dummy, I did really like the “stunt” baboon the filmmakers used in certain scenes. It looked fairly real, and even had a funny (yet sad) moment where it meets its untimely demise. Baboons are terrifying animals, and the cast did an amazing job working with the real one.
As for the “rage” virus, it’s not bad. Though I would have liked to know a little bit more about the virus and how it came to be, I did like its lifecycle through transmission. It’s as if they mixed the 28 Days Later virus with vampirism and threw in a bit of Hulk in there. Those infected start to look sickly and not feel well, gradually devolving into hair-trigger mutants with the intent to kill. They ooze blood and other fluids and have inhuman strength. Makeup effects were relatively minimal, but good nonetheless.
For a trashy 80s flick, Primal Rage was surprisingly good. I was engaged and thrilled at the storyline and what was happening to the characters — both those who were infected and those who weren’t. I was expecting nothing special but got an exciting movie about the perils of animal testing and zombie viruses. Primal Rage is an easy watch and one you’ll have a great time viewing by yourself or with others. Primal Rage can be summed up in two words: unexpectedly underappreciated.
What did you think of Primal Rage? Let us know in the comments!
As of this writing, Primal Rage is available to stream on Shudder.
