At its core, Primate is an 80’s style horror movie; a group of kids terrorized in a secluded location, during one long night. To capitalize on that specific feeling, we worked with director Johannes Roberts to develop a title that nods toward an older film language, with a slower build of creeping dread, rather than a jumpscare.

Once it was clear Johannes wanted something slower and more mysterious rather than a jump-scare, we looked to classic typography choices as a starting point for the title. The movie also needed a classic “reader card” establishing the origin and definition of rabies, which infects the family’s pet chimp and starts the terrifying events.

The title builds on slowly over footage of the family in happier times, one piece at a time, until the screen is filled with the blood red title. The process is so slow that you barely notice at first, as the audience is fixated on the story of the family photos. Until the audience realizes, like the kids in the house, it’s too late.