Prior to 2024, Oz Perkins was a somewhat niche indie filmmaker who had already built a nice little fanbase thanks to his early films The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015), which follows a young girl who may or may not be possessed by the devil, and I am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016), a hauntingly beautiful ghost story. Perkins’s films usually have a way of burrowing under your skin and staying there, whether you like that sort of thing or not. In 2024, NEON released his film Longlegs, which stars Nicolas Cage (Willy’s Wonderland) as a creepy, doll-making serial killer driven by Satan. Longlegs was a hit and more people discovered Oz Perkins’s special brand of dread. Perkins and his business partner, Chris Ferguson, as well as their production banner, Phobos, inked a deal resulting in NEON serving as the home for new films written and directed by Perkins, as well as those he produces for other filmmakers. Since then, Perkins has been busy. In 2025, NEON released Perkins’s film The Monkey, a raucous, bloody horror comedy about a toy monkey that causes death and destruction, that’s wildly different from any of his other films. Perkins is consistently full of surprises, especially the kind that are nightmare fuel. Later in 2025, NEON released Keeper, a folk horror tale, which is one of the few films directed by Perkins that he didn’t also write. Now NEON has released a 4K/Blu-ray combo of Keeper, which is sadly devoid of special features.
L-R: Tatiana Maslany as Liz and Rossif Sutherland as Malcom Westbridge in KEEPER. Photo courtesy of NEON.
Perkins is no stranger to folk horror. In 2020, he directed Gretel and Hansel, a beautifully shot take on the old fairy tale Hansel and Gretel about a witch who likes to feast on children. Written by Nick Lepard (Dangerous Animals) and directed by Perkins, Keeper uses folk horror themes to tell the story of an artist named Liz, played by Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black; The Monkey), who goes on what’s supposed to be a romantic getaway with her boyfriend Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland). Malcolm is a doctor who seems to be loving and attentive and Liz wonders if he might be the one. For their one-year anniversary, he takes Liz to a cozy, secluded cabin, and when they arrive, there is a boxed cake waiting for them from the caretaker. During dinner, the couple are unexpectedly interrupted by the arrival of Malcolm’s rude, unpleasant cousin Darren (Birkett Turton) and his European model girlfriend Minka (Eden Weiss). Malcolm is clearly unhappy with Darren for crashing his romantic evening with Liz and the two men exchange angry words while Minka tells Liz the cake that was waiting for them tastes terrible.
Rossif Sutherland as Malcolm Westbridge in KEEPER. Photo courtesy of NEON.
After encouraging Darren and Minka to leave, Malcolm tries to salvage what’s left of the evening and offers Liz a slice of the cake. She tells him she doesn’t like cake and politely refuses but later decides to try the cake anyway. Afterwards, she begins seeing visions of screaming women covered in blood. In the morning, Malcolm tells Liz he has to drive into the city to take care of an emergency with one of his patients, but he will return that evening. Once she’s alone in the cabin and is increasingly plagued by disturbing visions of bloodied women, Liz begins to wonder if this getaway was a mistake. Also, what the hell is in that cake?
Tatiana Maslany as Liz in KEEPER. Photo courtesy of NEON.
Utilizing elements of folklore about mythical creatures like the incubus, a male demon who seduces women in their dreams in order to impregnate them, Keeper also relies on the horrors of toxic masculinity and domination over women in the modern world. Rossif Sutherland (Orphan: First Kill; The Handmaid’s Tale) succeeds at being charming, mysterious, and slightly sinister, but make no mistake, this is Tatiana Maslany’s film. After seeing her give a standout, but small performance in The Monkey, it’s exciting to watch her chew up every bit of scenery in Keeper. Liz is artistic, independent, and strong-willed and Maslany gives a powerhouse performance delving into the character’s complex personality. It would be nice if she met a good man, but Liz doesn’t need a man, and she has absolutely no fear of fighting for her autonomy.
Creature effects in KEEPER. Photo courtesy of NEON.
Keeper is a mind-bending, slow burn that leaves a lot up to the viewer’s imagination; unfortunately, not everyone appreciates movies that make you think and take away your own interpretation. The skin-crawling creature effects are impressively over-the-top and sure to give you nightmares. It would have been great if the Blu-ray included some bonus features that show us how the visual effects were accomplished and how much is practical versus CGI.
Tatiana Maslany as Liz in KEEPER. Photo courtesy of NEON.
Keeper isn’t Perkins’s best film, (that would be The Blackcoat’s Daughter) mainly because it’s messily constructed in places, but it’s worth a watch simply for Maslany’s excellent performance. She is absolutely fearless in this role. NEON is usually pretty generous with special features on their physical releases, so it’s a bit baffling why there are no interviews or behind-the-scenes on this Blu-ray. Some insight into the creature and special effects would be fascinating.
Keeper 4K UHD Special Features:
- Feature Commentary with Osgood Perkins
- Teaser and Trailer
- 2160p Ultra HD
- 1.85:1 Presentation
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- English Audio Description 2.0
- English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles
Available on VOD and digital December 9th, 2025.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD January 20th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official NEON Keeper webpage.
To purchase, head to the official NEON Shop Keeper webpage.
Final Score: 3 out of 5.
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Categories: Home Video, Reviews, streaming
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