Liz (Tatiana Maslany) and her boyfriend Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland) drive to a secluded cabin in the woods to celebrate their one-year anniversary. Almost immediately after their arrival, it becomes clear that they are being watched. In a nearby cabin, Malcolm's cousin Darren (Birkett Turton) is staying with his new girlfriend Minka (Eden Weiss). Liz eats a welcome cake left behind by the concierge, and soon after, strange spirits begin stalking her. When Malcolm has to leave for work in town, Liz is left alone in the cabin with whatever is haunting her.
I have to admit: despite being a slow burn, Keeper is genuinely tense at times. The bathtub scene, where Liz is surrounded by what looks like a flowing wall of spirits, is particularly effective and made me hopeful that this film might become something truly unsettling and original. For a moment, it felt like the movie was building toward something fresh. Unfortunately, that promise doesn't fully pay off.
One of the main issues is how the spirits are used. Most of the time, they linger in the background, visible to the audience but positioned just out of Liz's line of sight. While this can work as a suspense technique, it's overused here. When a spirit finally reveals itself to Liz, it disappears almost immediately, turning what should be a terrifying moment into a cheap jump scare. The film repeatedly hints at danger without committing to it.
The third act raises more questions than it answers. Malcolm eventually offers an explanation for what's happening, but it feels incomplete. Darren suddenly vanishes, with no explanation. The spirits resemble a toned-down, almost softcore version of Hellraiser-style creatures, yet the film never explains why they look this way or what they represent. The ending feels rushed, as if the filmmakers realized they needed to wrap things up quickly and chose the most convenient resolution for Liz without fully earning it.
By the time the credits roll, there are too many loose ends: Who made the cake? Why did it trigger the events? What really happened to the other women? And what exactly were these spirits?
If none of that was meant to matter, then it raises a bigger question: why make this movie at all?
Keeper isn't a bad film. It has atmosphere, tension and a strong central performance from Tatiana Maslany. But it ultimately settles for ambiguity where clarity was needed, leaving the experience more frustrating than haunting.
