Keeper

Osgood Perkins third film in 18 months is another horror story, though tonally different from both "Longlegs" and "The Monkey". This is , I suspect, the most divisive of the three films and I'm not sure really benefitted from the improvements made possible by Neon's cash injection.

Liz (Tatiana Maslany) comes to the secluded woodland house belonging to her boyfriend Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland). The only nearby house belongs to Malcolm's cousin Darren (Birkett Turton) though he is supposed to be away. Liz begins to see and feel presences in the house and surround area that she can't explain. Her distrust of Malcolm grows, though he too is seeing his previously sensible and capable girlfriend seemingly losing her mind.

I listened to a podcast with Osgood Perkins before seeing the film, so I am aware that the film was shot before "The Monkey" in Canada, as a way to keep working around the 2023 labour strikes. I also knew that it was shot in a 'pickup' style with them attempting to hammer out exactly what the story was in post-production and also that Neon gave him a small amount of money to enhance the visual effects ahead of release. I don't think that those CGI elements were to the films benefit, the practical effects are much scarier than those elements, particularly as they are exposed for quite long period in the last act.

I was maybe a bit more prepared though for the "dark trip" style of the film, as opposed to some of the rest of the audience in the screening I was in, who seemed more negative about the film at its conclusion than I felt. I thought that Maslany was, as she always is, brilliant.

It couldn't live up to an exceptional trailer and the 'cleanliness' of the CGI elements, as opposed to the physical effects really worked against the film, but overall, I still feel positively about it.

This movie was extremely gripping and very scary at times but dont go in expecting the best movie ever just settle in with what the movie gives you and let it take over . Me and my dad both really enjoyed this and it is a slower ride but it was worth the watch and definitely worth a watch in the theater.

Might not be as appreciated as other Osgood Perkins films but it's definitely really enjoyable. I snuck in a nice bitter beer that gave me a buzz that went well with everything. I absolutely loved the acting with Rossif and Tatiana they are talented, great soundtrack and sweet cinematography! Hope some appreciate the film I surely did.

A 5.9 IMDb rating at time of writing does feel a little harsh for this film.

Sure, there is a lot about this film that feels very derivative. A cabin in the woods with creepy stuff going on isn't exactly a genre reinvention. I won't go into detail so as to preserve the film's mysteries, but as things unfold, even more elements do feel familiar.

But, this familiarity is wrapped up in a very appealing package. Visually the film is gorgeous, capturing the cabin and the natural landscape perfectly. The tone is creepy and suspenseful throughout. The performances are brilliant, particularly Tatiana Maslany who really shines.

The story also does get an injection of originality and spark with a folk horror element that may divide opinion, but I thought it brought things together quite well. It also made for some genuinely nightmare inducing imagery that worked really well.

Overall, Keeper is unlikely to blow you away. It's a slow burn horror that will feel familiar to genre aficionados, but the great performances, wonderful cinematography, and strong final act, are enough to make it worth your time.

I think the problem I'm having when it comes to the filmography of Oz Perkins is that the first film of his I saw was 'Longlegs (2024)', which basically set my expectations too high for his upcoming work. I don't think I'm diminishing the genuine success of that enigmatic movie when I say that maybe Perkins isn't quite the filmmaker you'd think he is if you've only seen that picture. Striking gold by random doesn't mean you haven't struck gold, but it does mean you'll probably have a harder time doing it again... at least on purpose. The director's latest, 'Keeper (2025)', is a very different flavour to his other effort from this year, 'The Monkey (2025)', but is probably just about as enjoyable for different reasons. It's much more serious and sinister, essentially a surreal haunted house story with some bemusing absurdism but generally no sense of humour. Even at only around a hundred minutes, it still feels a bit too long because it basically boils down to a relatively slow buildup of strange occurrences that culminate in a finale focused almost entirely around an exposition dump that explains too much (or, at least, too obviously) and not enough all at once. Despite this, the creepy imagery and committed central performance keep you invested in the affair, and its willingness to be straight-up strange without winking at its audience is also fairly commendable. It's all a little bit random, and there's no real way the audience would be able to guess the specifics of what's going on, but its bizarreness is at the very least interesting even if it isn't in service of a greater theme or, even, particular concept. The writing is a little clumsy at times, and it falls into the same traps as many of its inspirations, but it's mysterious enough to keep you engaged for the majority of the runtime. The direction isn't anything special, but it's sturdy - and, even, confident - enough to provide more than a few enjoyable frights while remaining relatively restrained and keeping things feeling quite claustrophobic. The flick, in general, is very generic, yet relatively well-achieved. It doesn't really say anything, but it's just about stylish enough that its lack of substance isn't especially bothersome. It's a decent effort, even though it's ultimately fairly forgettable.