KEEPER (2025)

New in select theaters and coming soon to On Demand from NEON!
Directed by Osgood Perkins.
Written by Nick Lepard.
Check out the trailer here!!

Liz (Tatiana Maslany) has been dating Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland) for about a year and though she still has some suspicions that her doctor boyfriend is keeping secrets, she decides it’s time to go on a weekend vacation with him to his cabin in the woods. Turns out, Malcolm does have a secret, and Liz is about to find out what it is and it ain’t good. It ain’t good tat tall.

By now, you probably know if you’re a fan of Oz Perkins’ films. He’s done six so far and all of them have been films not unlike the work of David Lynch, as there are some that are just going to dive into the strange world he creates and some who will just not get it and want to exit the theater post haste. I’m of the former. I’ve liked pretty much all of Perkins’ work, though some more than others. So, if you’re the type who don’t mind ambiguous, ethereal stories of the macabre, and prefer the more in-your-face horrors of, say, FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDIES, then you’re not going to like KEEPER either because it is much of the same.

And the same means that KEEPER is moody and surreal as all get out. It’s dark and dangerous pretty much from the get-go and while there is a dark comedic tone throughout (mostly from Tatiana Maslany, more on that later), for the most part, this is a pitch black film about the dangers of trust, the disintegration of romance, and the traditional abuse of women throughout time. Pretty hefty themes, but Perkins makes an entertaining film about it all.

The audience knows this is a horror movie, so we know what to expect as Malcolm takes Liz to this secluded cabin in the snowy woods. Unfortunately, Liz doesn’t. She believes this is a move from casual dating to something more serious with Malcolm, who is a busy and well to do doctor. So, a vacation in the woods is something a middle-aged gal like Liz would hope for. It’s not that Liz is naive. It’s just that despite her friend warning her of the red flags, Liz is hopeful. So, there’s this pervasive terror in the air pretty much the entire time, even during the more intimate and relaxing bits, as you’re just waiting for the axe to drop. It’s that type of bleak cloud that hovers over most Perkins’ films. If you know, you know.

Perkins’ settings do a lot of the heavy lifting here in terms of mood. The house is full of odd angles and though we are taken through it, there really isn’t a normal room in the entire place. Perkins does a lot with warped perspectives and the use of fore, middle, and background, forcing you to keep an eye on all three so as not to miss anything dangerous or important to the plot. You never really see the horror lurking in the background until the climax, but throughout Perkins makes these creatures absolutely uncanny, with shapes that are vaguely recognizable, but not. The cold outside is also used well as it seems to be yet another factor trapping Liz in this prison of a home. Much time is spent focusing on the cold brook just outside the window, but it might as well be a million miles away by the way Liz gazes out at it.

No doubt, it’s Maslany who makes this film work. While I’m not a fan of her SHE-HULK work, and never got into ORPHAN BLACK, here it is evident why she has become such a respected actor. Without her providing some truly human moments, this would be a cold and alien film. There’s a grounded and sometimes weird way Liz has about her that makes her instantly relatable. The reason why a lot of the film works is through her quirky mannerisms while doing everyday things like taking a bath or simply taking a nap. The fact that she can hold my interest during these quiet moments proves her power as a star. She is put through the wringer by the end but remains poised and likable the whole time. There’s a scene where she finds out just what Malcolm is up to and she tries to rationalize it in her head that is absolutely human and authentic. She’s simply magnificent in this film.

Sutherland’s Malcolm is a tough cookie to read for both Liz and the audience. There is just something pod-personish about him all the way through. There are times when it seems some humanity creeps in and we see why Liz might be interested in him (I mean, despite the fact that he’s a rich doctor with a luxurious cabin in the woods), but for the most part, he has this cold, robotic stare, as if he knows something, yet somehow regrets what is about to happen.

And what happens is some twisted ass shit, I’ll tell you what. Once the curtain is pulled back and we realize just what is going on—well, that’s not all-together true, once we get a clue as to what danger Liz is in, the terror is palpable. From the bizarre shapes of the creatures to their horrifying cries of pain and agony, these monsters are unlike any seen in cinema before. The film has to do with a legacy of torment and sacrifice and these monsters exemplify these aspects to a tee. The final harrowing scenes where Maslany faces these creatures is the stuff of pure nightmare.

By the time the credits rolled, I found myself once again impressed at the creativity and originality of Perkins’ KEEPER. Bits and pieces of the film have been done before and it still seems to embody Perkins’ sense of surreality and oddity, but this one felt a little more personal and soulful, mostly due to Masalny’s fantastic performance. Yes, as with many of Perkins’ films, there is a lengthy monolog during the climax, explaining it all to the cheap seats—something I feel would be better left unsaid, but also something I can imagine the studios pushed Perkins to do to make this film a skosh more mainstream. Still, there are few voices like Oz Perkins out there making films and once again, he didn’t disappoint with KEEPER.