L'élue

A good horror that keeps you guessing in a good way.

Good performance from the main characters.

Decent idea that is executed very well and the tension is maintained throughout the film.

Even manages a solid ending, which is not so easily done in "serious" horror movies.

It's not perfect, but it stands head and shoulders above most of it's competition.

It could probably have done with having more implied and leaving it up to the viewer to fill in the blanks at times.

I find that I am really am a fan of Osgood Perkins as I loved The Blackcoat's Daughter and Longlegs. I love his odd sense of humor in The Monkey. Keeper is definitely an acquired taste because it doesn't provide many answers due to its open-to-interpretation, nightmarish nature. I love aggressively weird movies like Keeper.

Keeper (2025) is a psychological horror movie directed by Osgood Perkins and it follows a couple on a romantic anniversary trip to a secluded cabin that turns sinister when a dark presence reveals itself, forcing them to confront the property's haunting past. I just got done watching the movie and it was okay.

Positives for Keeper (2025): The story is somewhat interesting for what it's going for. I also have to give credit to Osgood Perkins for doing his best with what he has to work with. Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland are good in their roles. The movie is short and it gets to the point. And finally, the ending was interesting for being different enough.

Negatives for Keeper (2025): This movie has a story that you've seen so many times. It is so predictable with what is going to happen. I was getting bored with the movie because I saw a lot of things coming. And finally, the ending was bizarre despite being interesting.

Overall, Keeper (2025) is one of the weaker movies from Osgood Perkins that I've seen so many times, but I will continue to watch his movies in the future.

Can I trust this man? Can I trust this woman? People really need to stop going to cabins in the woods. It never, ever goes well. Director Osgood Perkins has been cranking out movies recently. In the past two years, he has made LONGLEGS, THE MONKEY, and now KEEPER. This is a surreal slow burn horror about Liz (Tatiana Maslany) and Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland) going to his cabin in the woods for their anniversary. It's isolated, claustrophobic, and immediately feels off. Early on, Malcolm has to go back to the city for his job, leaving Liz on her own, always a great idea. Thus begins the strange noises accompanied by the sense that somebody or something is watching her. I really like how this is shot. Characters are to the side of the frame. Things are happening in the blurry background. It's very unsettling and effective. This was shot during the writer's strike in Vancouver, when they weren't able to film THE MONKEY. Some things are very predictable, but Maslany kept me hooked with her performance. Her changing mindset is clear and precise. There are some great spooky visuals that I probably won't forget anytime soon. One of them reminded me of the video game Little Nightmares 2. Os is a wizard of unique horrors, each having a different tone. The music works well with the creepiness. It's pretty scary, but it doesn't rely on jump-scares. Only once. Okay maybe twice. I wish the script gave us more hints earlier on, instead of telling us most of what we want to know at the end. The ending itself might not be satisfying enough for some people. It was alright for me. This might not be a KEEPER for you, but I enjoyed this one enough.

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.