Arriving on 4K UHD this week is Keeper, director Osgood Perkins’ third collaboration with Neon. The folk-horror feature stars Tatiana Maslany, Rossif Sutherland, Birkett Turton, and Eden Weiss. If the project feels as though it came together quickly on the heels of The Monkey, there’s a reason: Keeper was shot entirely during the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, which delayed the completion of The Monkey. Writer Nick Lepard was brought on because he was not a member of the Writers Guild of America, and the production employed Canadian actors who waived their SAG-AFTRA status. As a result, Keeper was produced on a significantly smaller budget—nearly half the cost of The Monkey—with minimal marketing and promotional support.
The story follows Malcolm (Sutherland) and his girlfriend Liz (Maslany), who head to Malcolm’s secluded countryside cabin to celebrate their one-year anniversary. Upon arrival, Liz notices a boxed cake that Malcolm claims was left by the caretaker. Their quiet getaway is interrupted by an unannounced visit from Malcolm’s cousin Darren (Turton) and his model girlfriend Minka (Weiss). While the cousins argue privately, Minka tells Liz that the cake is terrible. Despite her misgivings, Liz eventually eats a slice at Malcolm’s insistence.
That decision proves ominous. In the middle of the night, Liz consumes the entire cake and begins experiencing disturbing visions. Elsewhere, Minka is attacked by an unseen presence in the surrounding woods. As Liz’s descent into darkness deepens, Malcolm is called back to the city to attend to one of his patients. During his absence, Darren returns to the cabin and is also killed by the mysterious force, while Liz hides in the bathroom. When Malcolm finally returns, Liz’s suspicions grow, and she begins to wonder whether he is concealing a horrifying secret.
Keeper is a deliberate slow burn that ultimately struggles to justify its pacing. While Perkins delivers some genuinely unsettling imagery—most notably a grotesque, multi-faced head that qualifies as pure nightmare fuel—and demonstrates his knack for atmosphere, reminiscent of Longlegs, the film rarely builds toward anything truly compelling. Maslany gives a strong, committed performance, but even with a relatively lean 99-minute runtime, the film often feels interminable. Though far from the worst horror offering of 2025, Keeper is a disappointment, especially given that Perkins has proven himself capable of far more assured and engaging work.
Bonus Features:
- Feature Commentary with Osgood Perkins
- Trailers
