THE PRIMEVALS. Sci-fi that was over 50 years in the making

The Primevals is a film as fascinating as the tangled story of its creation. In the high reaches of the Himalayas, a group of Sherpas encounters a massive, gorilla-like creature. The aggressive beast perishes in an avalanche, and its body is transported to an American scientific institute run by Dr. Collier, who identifies the monster as the legendary Yeti. Research reveals that its brain underwent complex neurosurgery, and its unusual anatomy shows signs of advanced bioengineering. Collier travels to Nepal in search of more specimens of the mysterious, previously unknown species. Accompanying her on the expedition are Matt Connor, a former student and the author of a rejected doctoral thesis on the Yeti; veteran hunter Rondo Montana; sharp-witted researcher Kathleen Reidel; and a young Nepali guide named Siku.

As they traverse the mountains, the expedition discovers Yetis, a tribe of primitive hominids, and the remnants of an ancient extraterrestrial civilization that has been visiting Earth for hundreds of thousands of years. David Allen, the special effects and stop-motion animation artist, began his career working on the children’s show The Gumby Show (1967–1968). In the following decade, he teamed up with Charles Band, head of Charles Band Productions, Empire Pictures, and Full Moon Entertainment. Together, they worked on such films as Michael Rae’s Laserblast (1978), John Cardos’ The Day Time Ended (1980), David Schmoeller’s Puppet Master (1989), and Stuart Gordon’s Robot Jox (1990). Allen’s effects also featured in Joe Dante’s The Howling (1981), Carl Gottlieb’s Caveman (1981), Tony Scott’s The Hunger (1983), Larry Cohen’s The Stuff (1985), and Barry Levinson’s Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)—the last of which earned him an Oscar nomination. He also tried his hand at directing, creating Puppet Master II (1990), a segment of the anthology The Dungeonmaster (1984), and several short films. The Primevals was Allen’s true passion project among all his endeavors. It all began with a short film called Raiders of the Stone Ring (1968), which he created with Dennis Muren and Jim Danforth. Inspired by the writings of Edgar Rice Burroughs and blending live action with stop-motion, the half-hour film caught the attention of British studio Hammer Film Productions, which considered expanding it into a feature. However, negotiations broke down after Hammer suggested turning it into an entirely different project with the working title Zeppelin vs. Pterodactyls. After several rewrites by Randy Cook, the project caught the interest of Charles Band in the late 1970s, who agreed to finance Allen’s idea. A 1978 article in Cinefantastique announced that The Primevals would premiere in 1980. That’s when the troubles began. Production was halted after only a few months when Charles Band Productions ran into financial difficulties. Band formed a new company, Empire Pictures, but it too failed to carry the project forward—The Primevals was once again shelved. Allen spent years searching for funding, and eventually tried again with Band under his new label, Full Moon Entertainment. Things finally seemed promising: a budget of around $4 million was secured, a cast was assembled (including Juliet Mills, Richard Joseph Paul, Robert Cornthwaite, and Leon Russom), and filming began in 1994 in Italy and Romania.

But disaster struck again: Band lost a key distribution deal with Paramount, further complicating production, and Allen was diagnosed with cancer. He passed away in 1999 without finishing The Primevals. Efforts to save the film continued after Allen’s death. Production dragged on until 2001 due to a shrinking budget, but eventually, the project was abandoned. Fortunately, Allen had left behind all materials related to The Primevals—storyboards, puppets, footage, and equipment—to his protégé and successor, Chris Endicott.

In 2018, Endicott and Band launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo that raised over $40,000 to complete the film. This money allowed for the restoration of deteriorating stop-motion footage from the ‘80s and ’90s and the transfer of film stock to digital formats. By the end of 2022, The Primevals was finally finished. It premiered in July 2023 at the Fantasia International Film Festival, and a year later, it was released in U.S. theaters. Band admitted the budget was never recouped, but emphasized that the film was never about box office success—it was a tribute to a departed friend.

You could level many criticisms at the final film: the dialogue is stilted, the acting wooden, Rondo Montana is a knockoff Indiana Jones, and Richard Band’s score closely mimics John Williams’ style. But none of that really matters once the movie begins. It’s not about fast-paced action, stunning locations, or even the wonderfully refreshing stop-motion scenes in an age dominated by tiring CGI.

What matters is that The Primevals carries the unmistakable spirit of true passion and love for cinema. It feels like a lost artifact from the golden age of adventure films and the pioneering days of special effects by legends like Willis H. O’Brien and Ray Harryhausen. Allen’s vivid imagination created a mesmerizing world filled with Yetis, ape-men living in treetop huts, menacing alien lizards, and fantastic ancient constructions built by cosmic visitors. It’s a world so immersive, you don’t want to leave it.