Keeper Review: Osgood Perkins is on some kind of sprint right now. Three movies in a year and a half, another one already queued up, and Keeper pops out in the middle of all that like he found it between couch cushions during a writer’s strike. I walked into this completely blind, knowing only that Perkins directed it and Tatiana Maslany was starring, and honestly, I kinda wish I had a blindfold for parts of it too.

My Rating: 3.0/5

Field	Details
Title	Keeper
Year	2025
Director	Ozgood Perkins
Writer	(Commissioned Canadian writer; not written by Perkins)
Genre	Psychological Horror / Surreal Horror
Main Cast	Tatiana Maslany, + supporting Canadian cast
Runtime	~ Approx. 1 hr 40 mins

So… what is Keeper actually about?

On paper, it’s simple: a couple goes to a remote cabin for their anniversary. The guy leaves for work. The woman slowly unravels. The cabin might be haunted, cursed, alive… or maybe she’s just losing it. You know the drill.

But the way Perkins plays it?
Imagine you’re watching someone have a psychedelic breakdown inside an Airbnb where every piece of furniture is judging them. That’s the vibe.

Let’s talk about the good stuff first

• Perkins CAN direct — that’s not up for debate

The man knows how to build unease. He knows how to stage a shot that feels wrong in the best way. Keeper has stretches where the visuals are genuinely fantastic—eerie, bold, and weird enough to make you lean forward a bit.

• Tatiana Maslany carries this thing on her back

Most of the runtime is just her wandering around, spiraling deeper into whatever hell the cabin has cooked up. To her credit, she never phones it in. The deeper the movie goes into madness, the better she gets.
Is it her best work ever? No. But she keeps the ship afloat when the script keeps poking holes in the bottom.

• The film does have something to say

It’s going for a big thematic swing. You can tell Perkins wanted to tackle a specific issue, one that horror absolutely loves chewing on lately. You’ll recognize it the moment it appears.

And to be fair, I get why some people will love the metaphor, the vibe, the arthouse chaos. There’s definitely a crowd for this.

Now for the part where I lose some people

This movie drove me up the wall.

Not because it’s slow. I don’t mind it being slow.
Not because it’s surreal. I’m into weird.

It’s because Keeper has almost no internal logic.
And when a movie is THIS slow and THIS ambiguous, you need at least one hand on the railing. Perkins basically kicked the railing off the balcony.

• The script feels rushed

Which makes sense when you find out it was written during the strike pause, using a Canadian writer so they could keep some of The Monkey crew working. I’m glad people got paid, but you can feel the speed bumps all over the writing.

• Characters don’t act like actual humans

I’m sorry, but if your partner stops mid-foreplay to force-feed you a chocolate cake you specifically said you don’t like, while he doesn’t cut himself a slice, you don’t just shrug and go, “Weird flex but okay.”

No.
You leave.
Immediately.
And maybe call a priest on the way to the car.

There are so many moments like that where the script expects you to swallow behavior that makes zero human sense. And once my brain checks out on character logic, no amount of “but it’s surrealist” can bring me back.

Also Read: In Your Dreams Review – A Strange, Sweet Reminder That Growing Up Isn’t Supposed to Be Easy

• The metaphors eat the movie alive

I don’t mind subtext.
I don’t mind commentary.

But when your metaphors start running the plot and they’re not even clever metaphors anymore, it stops being a story and turns into homework.

• And the twist? Yeah, you’ll see it coming.

The movie basically tells you the big thematic angle in the opening montage. So when the third act hits, nothing lands with the weight it should. It’s like waiting an hour and a half for a punchline you already guessed.

So, is Keeper worth watching?

If you’re a hardcore Osgood Perkins fan, like, if you liked Blackcoat’s Daughter, Longlegs, and The Monkey, and you want to see what else he has up his sleeve, then yeah, go for it. This is absolutely one of those “love it or hate it” movies that will spark conversations.

But for most people?

I’d wait until it hits streaming.
Preferably on a night when you’re willing to roll the dice on something strange.

Good & Bad in Keeper

Final Take on Keeper

I respect the ambition.
I respect the experimentation.
But Keeper felt like Perkins was juggling four movies at once, and this one slipped through his fingers a bit.

Great director.
Good lead performance.
But the film needed more time in the oven, and maybe fewer metaphors trying to strangle each other.