Writer-director Osgood Perkins’ second film of 2025 is a thoroughly creepy journey into the woods. Here’s our Keeper review: It’s not an exaggeration to say Osgood Perkins has cemented himself as one of the most exciting directors working in horror. 2024’s Longlegs is what really gave him his breakout movie, but the actor turned filmmaker ... Keeper review | A bad trip, in all the right ways
Writer-director Osgood Perkins’ second film of 2025 is a thoroughly creepy journey into the woods. Here’s our Keeper review:
It’s not an exaggeration to say Osgood Perkins has cemented himself as one of the most exciting directors working in horror. 2024’s Longlegs is what really gave him his breakout movie, but the actor turned filmmaker had been making creepy features for almost a decade before that.
Now comes Keeper. Following on from the director’s manic Stephen King adaptation The Monkey in March, Keeper slows down and returns to that same sense of dread that made Longlegs so effective.
Tatiana Maslany’s Liz is celebrating her first anniversary with Malcolm, the handsome, easy-going doctor who may or may not have a family elsewhere – meaning Liz is simply ‘the other woman’. The couple head to Malcom’s cabin in the woods – red flag number one! – for a relaxing weekend, which is interrupted by the arrival of Malcom’s cousin – red flag number two – and his silent date. There’s also a mysterious cake left on the kitchen counter – red flag number three – by an even more mysterious caretaker.
That’s all you really want to know before sitting down to watch Keeper. The film’s various distributors – Neon in the US and Black Bear in the UK – have kept pretty quiet about the film’s release, preserving its secrets and creating an aura of mystery.
That aura doesn’t exactly dissolve until the final act, but that’s part of, if not the entire charm. Perkins is excellent at pulling us in and then waving a little treat in front of us, teasing us about what might really be going on, and what horrors the cabin hides.
Horror is a genre where it’s too easy to go overboard. Some films – looking at you, Saw! – are designed to be excessive, and that’s exactly why we watch them, but finding that delicate balance of how much you do show and what you hide is important for a film like Keeper. As with Longlegs, Perkins keeps us guessing for a long time, but the wait is certainly worthwhile.
We’ll keep our words on the ending brief here: no spoilers and no hints. But it is worth saying that while the ending is satisfyingly creepy, especially the final few minutes, there was perhaps a little more to be done thematically during Keeper's middle section to make the ending hit harder. Still, the final reveal holds an awful lot of meaning. Keeper’s story is deeply rooted in recognisable misogyny and while Perkins’ unique thrill here can be treated as a good, old-fashioned horror movie, there’s also a lot more going on under the surface.
What also helps immensely is Tatiana Maslany’s performance. Keeper was filmed entirely during the 2023 Hollywood strikes while work on The Monkey was paused. The Canadian cast and crew were able to work on Keeper instead. Maslany portrays Liz’s growing uncertainty which begins to turn into blind panic and then pure terror with commitment and authenticity. And what’s more, Liz behaves like an actual human. She’s cautious and makes smart calls as the danger builds – and the one mistake she makes is one this writer makes almost daily.
Keeper is certainly a keeper. It’s another strong offering from Perkins, who is quickly asserting himself as one of the most original voices not just in horror, but Hollywood in general. The director is already working on another “bad trip” – and if it’s anything like Longlegs and Keeper, we’re in for something really special.
The lesson in Keeper? Never accept cake from someone who might be cheating on their wife.
Keeper is in UK cinemas 14th November
