In theatres this week is Keeper, a tight, 99-minute psychological horror from director Osgood Perkins that stars Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland. Marketed as a haunted-cabin nightmare with a relationship at its core, the film follows Liz (Maslany) and Malcolm (Sutherland) who take a secluded anniversary trip to a remote cabin.
When Malcolm abruptly returns to the city, Liz is left alone—and soon she encounters a sinister presence that peels back the property’s violent secrets and tests the limits of her sanity and trust.
The movie is produced by Oddfellows and distributed in the U.S. by Neon; it premiered internationally in Australia on November 13 and opened widely in the U.S. on November 14, 2025.
Keeper Age Rating
MPA (U.S.): Rated R — some violent content/gore, language, and some sexual references. The film’s U.S. rating makes clear it’s intended for adult audiences and older teens only; under-17s require a parent or guardian in theatres.
BBFC (U.K.): 15 — The British Board of Film Classification lists the film as a 15, with content advice citing violence and horror, threat, sexual references, and some injury detail (including graphic aftermaths). The BBFC classification notes specific moments of strong injury detail, such as blood-splattered faces and other upsetting imagery.
Keeper is not a light jump-scare picture. It’s a mood-driven, sometimes surreal horror that mixes psychological dread with explicit visceral moments. Expect:
- Graphic injury and visible blood in several sequences.
- Threat and sustained horror: slow-burn build-up rather than only sudden shocks.
- Strong language and sexual references — some brief sexual content is present.
If you’re deciding whether a teen can go, the practical rule from the ratings is simple: this is aimed at adults and older teens, and parents should strongly consider maturity, prior experience with intense horror, and sensitivity to gore before allowing younger viewers.
Plot and Tone
Keeper opens as a contained character piece: an anniversary cabin stay that should be intimate and restorative. Perkins and screenwriter Nick Lepard (working from a script produced to be shot quickly while other projects paused) use the couple’s halting intimacy to seed unease. The first act lingers on ordinary relationship friction—small arguments, silence, and the odd, disquieting detail—before the supernatural/interpersonal menace emerges. From there, the film keeps close to Liz’s point of view, letting visual dislocation and ambient sound design (score by Edo Van Breemen) do heavy lifting.
Perkins—known for atmospheric pieces such as Longlegs—leans on mood and image rather than full explanation. That means the film often feels dreamlike, with imagery (a bathtub dissolving into a rushing river, women staring silently) designed to unsettle rather than to explain. The result is a horror that reads as both a ghost story and an intimate study of a failing or fragile relationship—so the emotional unease can be as disturbing as the physical violence. Critics describe it as restrained yet effective: the dread is slow and cumulative.
Keeper Parents Guide
Before you watch or let someone watch, here are the main content elements that justify the R/15 ratings:
Violence & gore
- Several scenes include visible blood, strong injury detail and at least one instance of decapitation-level aftermath described in classification notes. These sequences are graphic in their aftermaths (blood on faces, floors) and are used to underscore the film’s dark secret rather than for pure spectacle.
Threat & horror
- Sustained psychological threat, stalking imagery, and sustained atmosphere of menace. The film relies on an oppressive sense of being watched or haunted. Scenes of fright are often built through sound design and editing rather than non-stop gore, but moments of intense shock exist.
Language
- Strong language appears throughout. Expect frequent coarse expletives.
Sexual content
- The BBFC notes “moderate sex references,” and a brief, moderate sex scene appears. Sexual content is not the film’s primary focus, but it is present, and it is sometimes linked to power dynamics and threat.
Drug references
- Passing references to recreational drugs (MDMA, “magic mushrooms”) appear as part of background details and character behaviour in a few scenes. These are not the central narrative but add to the atmosphere and character decisions.
Emotional intensity
- Themes of betrayal, isolation, and the breakdown of trust may be emotionally unsettling. The mood can be haunting and ambiguous; the story doesn’t always offer neat moral takeaways.
Who is Keeper for — age suitability
Best suited to:
- Adults and experienced horror fans who appreciate slow-burn, mood-driven films rather than straight slasher fodder.
- Older teens (17+ in the U.S., 15+ UK) who have handled tough horror before and can separate cinematic violence from reality.
- Viewers who like horror that interrogates relationships and psychology as much as it shocks.
Not recommended for:
- Young teenagers and children. The film’s graphic aftermath imagery and intense atmosphere can be distressing.
- Viewers sensitive to blood, injury detail, or sexual threat. The BBFC flags images that many will find viscerally upsetting.
- Anyone seeking light entertainment or “teen horror” that downplays real-world harm. Keeper aims to be more unsettling than entertaining.
Tips for Parents
If you’re a parent considering Keeper for a mature teen, here are useful steps:
- Watch it first if possible. This is the most reliable way to judge suitability for your teen. (If you can’t, consult the BBFC notes and parental guides linked below.)
- Discuss expectations before viewing. Explain the difference between mood horror and explicit gore, and reassure that the film’s unsettling images are designed to create emotion—not to endorse harm.
- Be ready to pause and debrief. Some scenes are brief but intense; being able to pause and talk after a sequence can help process imagery and themes.
- Consider the teen’s prior exposure. If they’ve handled similarly rated films (other R-rated, visually graphic horror) without long-term upset, they’re likelier to manage Keeper. If not, delay.
How critics are reacting
Early critical response has been mixed-to-positive: reviewers have praised Maslany’s grounded lead turn and Perkins’ control of mood, while some critics note the film’s ambiguous approach will leave viewers split over whether the payoff justifies the slow build. On Metacritic the film scores in the “mixed or average” band but individual reviews—such as The Guardian—commend the film’s eerie atmosphere and psychological focus. If you prize atmosphere over tidy answers, critics suggest Keeper will be rewarding; if you prefer lucid plotting and explanation, you may be frustrated.
Editor’s Verdict
If you enjoy slow-burn psychological horror that lingers and unsettles, and you’re comfortable with graphic aftermath imagery and an open-ended, poetic approach to story, Keeper is worth seeing in a cinema for the full sensory experience. For parents of teens, treat it as adult-oriented material: check the R/15 rating, read the BBFC content notes, and make a judgment based on your teen’s emotional maturity and previous exposure to graphic horror. For those who dislike ambiguity or graphic injury detail, this is one to skip.