Movie: Keeper (2025)
Production Companies: Wayward Entertainment, Big Rodeo Films, Oddfellows Pictures
Distributed by: NEON
Producer(s): Chris Ferguson, Jesse Savath
Directed by: Osgood Perkins
Written by: Nick Lepard
Starring: Tatiana Maslany, Rossif Sutherland
Review by: Stefano Todaro

NEON has once again built intrigue and anticipation with clever trailers and marketing, but Osgood Perkins’ second release of 2025, Keeper, is more horror window dressing than a fully realized horror vision. Keeper is a cabin-in-the-woods style story, and while that concept has been done to death, a well-executed version of being trapped in the woods can be top-tier horror.

Tatiana Maslany plays Liz, somebody who considers themselves a loner and a city rat and is shocked by the fact that she’s been dating Malcolm, played by Rossif Sutherland, for an entire year. To mark this milestone, Malcome takes Liz on an anniversary trip to his cabin in the middle of the woods. Nearly the moment they walk through the front door, Liz begins seeing things and feeling off. Is it her stress? Is the uncertainty about her relationship messing with her psyche? Most of the film’s scares are thanks to Liz’s dreams and visions; the grisly imagery of unknown women in presumably horrific scenarios is haunting Liz. Is all of this real, or is being in the middle of the woods with her boyfriend forcing her to project?

A cabin in the woods typically means full seclusion, but Malcom’s cousin has a house next door. After an uncomfortable conversation with Malcolm’s cousin and his cousin’s date for the weekend, Malcolm tries his best to convince Liz to eat a piece of the chocolate cake that the house caretaker baked. Liz hates chocolate, but obliges because of Malcolm’s incessantness. Her visions become more intense, presumably because of the cake she devoured. The following day, Malcolm, who is a doctor, breaks the bad news to Liz that he must return home for the day to tend to a patient. Liz has already been struggling with her mental state, and more time alone with her thoughts might send her over the top.

Keeper nails the anticipation and fear of the unknown in the first third of the film, but its meandering middle segment doesn’t provide enough depth or action to keep the audience interested in the finale. It becomes a test of patience. I wanted to find out how the story ends because I spent time watching the film, but I found it impossible to care about where everything ended up. Although Perkins didn’t write the film, that honor belongs to Nick Lepard, it feels like Perkins’ more recent films have been plagued by two-dimensional characters with hollow backstories and motivations. Maslany’s performance is excellent, but she can only give so much to a character that doesn’t give anything back. It’s an especially exciting performance when compared to Sutherland’s misplaced and unsure turn as Malcolm. We understand that something must be off about Malcolm, but that’s no excuse for Sutherland’s cardboard delivery.

As with all Osgood Perkins films, it’s lovely to look at. There’s no denying that Keeper’s cinematography is impressive and that Perkins has a great eye, but the film is too muddled and messy for me to overlook its pitfalls. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Keeper does have a handful of very effective scares, but for every good scare, there is added confusion that doesn’t add up to anything rewarding.

5.3/10

By: Stefano Todaro