Osgood Perkins has risen in prominence as one of the most daring voices in modern horror. Ever since his 2015 directorial debut, The Blackcoat’s Daughter, the actor-turned-filmmaker has maintained a consistent output. His last two movies, The Monkey (2025) and Longlegs (2024), were theatrically released only 8 months apart by the prestigious indie distributor Neon. It had been four years since his prior feature, Gretel & Hansel (2020), built its own cult status among horror fans. So, Neon was wise to strike while the iron was hot with The Monkey, as it gained a notable boost by riding the high of Longlegs’ incredible success. However, Perkins’ latest horror flick, Keeper (2025), brings this recent momentum to a screeching halt.
With Keeper arriving only 9 months after The Monkey, it’s weird to think that we have gotten 3 Oz Perkins movies in less than 2 years. Neon’s unwavering dedication to Perkins as an artist is not just highly admirable but also rare in this industry. Yet, Neon has inadvertently warped the expectations of general audiences with these back-to-back releases. Going from the sky-high praise of Longlegs to the lukewarm reception of The Monkey to now Keeper, which is sadly Perkins’ most unsatisfying work in years, in such a short amount of time isn’t going to do anyone any favors. Perhaps Keeper’s few quirks could have been better appreciated had it not premiered so closely after two superior films.
Familiar Tropes in a Unique Package
Written by Nick Lepard (who previously wrote this year’s Dangerous Animals), Keeper is built around a seemingly straightforward premise. Liz (Tatiana Maslany), a small-time artist, and her boyfriend Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland), a wealthy doctor, head to his family’s secluded cabin in the forest for a romantic weekend getaway in honor of their one-year anniversary. Once they get there, Malcolm’s long list of lies becomes easier to read. The intrusion of his dirtbag cousin Darren (Birkett Turton), who lives right next door, further raises Liz’s fears and anxieties about Malcolm living some kind of double life with a secret wife and kids. Little does she know that there is something much darker and sinister at play.
Courtesy of Neon
Through a series of eerie clues, it becomes apparent that the evil residing in Malcolm’s home is of ancient origin. The more Keeper fills viewers in on its true machinations, the further they sink into Osgood Perkins’ hypnotic control. As Liz is slowly driven to madness, one thing becomes clear: Keeper is a singular horror story. Yes, it utilizes various genre tropes, like a creepy house in the woods and a distrustful boyfriend. The way it warps these conventions through an unexpected blend of surrealism and folk horror, tracing back to Perkins’ earlier work, is mesmerizing, though. The main revelation behind Liz’s torment is also incredibly wicked and original; it’s unlike any other horror movie this year.
Keeper is Failed by a Half-Baked Script
With so much good faith earned throughout the majority of the film, it’s incredibly disappointing to say that Keeper just loses all steam as it drags its feet across the finish line. It meanders its way to such a rushed, lackluster conclusion that it actively makes what came before seem like a ploy to stall for time. The second act is too preoccupied with tiptoeing around the plot’s central mystery, to the point where things were already painfully obvious before a certain character kills more time by verbally explaining what’s happening to the audience. Then, the third act is gone in a flash, offering only one or two cathartic moments of release after over an hour of building tension.
Keeper is the perfect example of a horror movie that is less than the sum of its parts. This all stems from Nick Lepard’s half-baked script, which somehow builds up to a unique narrative twist without having anything thematically fresh to say. It’s a frustrating situation where all the pieces to what could be a new modern gem are present, but they don’t add up to anything particularly interesting or memorable when presented as a whole. Some moviegoers might argue that there simply isn’t enough material here for a feature-length film, which is why Perkins feels like he’s dragging everything out. Or perhaps, there is enough material, but it’s poorly strung out. Regardless, the end result remains severely underwhelming.
Tatiana Maslany and Osgood Perkins Have a Fascinating Dynamic, At Least
Tatiana Maslany, best known for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Orphan Black, effortlessly keeps the film afloat, even in its dullest parts. Keeper was surprisingly shot before The Monkey last year. While Perkins’ Stephen King adaptation was held up due to the historic 2023 Hollywood strikes, he shifted focus to keep his crew employed by shooting this small-scale production in Canada (with a Canadian writer and actors who could still work under certain guidelines without crossing the picket line). Admittedly, Keeper can be admired when viewed as this intimate effort between a tight-knit group of collaborators. Maslany and Perkins, having now worked twice together, are a dream pairing when it comes to nailing a dark yet oddly enchanting tone.
Maslany’s noble efforts count for something, even when she’s given an ultimately redundant role like this one. Keeper attempts to comment on the one-sided nature of love, noting how both men and women use romance to fulfill their own self-interests. This can be true for even the healthiest of relationships. To what point does this self-gratification become toxic, and why do some people force themselves to serve their romantic partner’s selfishness? All interesting ideas that the screenplay merely dabbles in, leaving Liz as an echo of past female horror protagonists who actually brought something new to the conversation. Additionally, Keeper’s ending specifically attempts to evoke a certain note that many previous horror films have done far better.
Nightmarish Creature Designs Gone to Waste
Eager horror fans have noticed some incredibly creepy monsters teased in Keeper‘s otherwise cryptic marketing campaign. Without giving anything away, the paranormal creatures that Osgood Perkins has conjured up look like pure nightmare fuel. However, they are barely in the movie, and not in the way that their screen time is savored. Plus, they are brought to life purely through CGI — one that is supposed to elicit a major scare ends up looking uncanny for the wrong reasons. It’s one of many peculiar decisions that leave viewers asking themselves, “Really, that’s it?” The film’s title often attempts to push beyond the surface to convey a layered meaning, yet it doesn’t seem like anyone involved is interested in exploring that.
Maybe Keeper was always intended to be an experiment from Oz and his team, quickly assembled during a period when another project of his (one he had actually written) was indefinitely paused. It’s certainly different and non-repetitive of his other films, and can be appreciated for that. But when it comes so soon after Perkins’ last movies and is advertised as the umpteenth “scariest movie of the year” to release in 2025, it’s undeniably a huge let-down.
Keeper hits theaters on November 14!
Release Date: November 14, 2025.
Directed by Osgood Perkins.
Written by Nick Lepard.
Produced by Jesse Savath & Jesse Savath.
Executive Producers: Tatiana Maslany, Dave Caplan, Fred Berger, Bonner Bellew, John Hegeman, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Marlaina Mah, Laurie May, Peter Micelli, Noah Segal, & Vince Totino.
Main Cast: Tatiana Maslany, Rossif Sutherland, Birkett Turton, Eden Weiss, Tess Degenstein, Claire Friesen, Christin Park, Erin Boyes, Gina Vultaggio, Glen Gordon, & Logan Pierce.
Cinematographer: Jeremy Cox.
Composer: Edo Van Breemen.
Editors: Graham Fortin & Greg Ng.
Production Company: Oddfellows.
Distributor: Neon.
Runtime: 99 minutes.
Rated R.
