Spoilers for “Keeper” follow.
There has been a shroud of secrecy surrounding Osgood Perkins’ “Keeper,” and part of that is because Neon wanted to keep the mystery of the film intact for as many people as possible. Now, finally, the movie is in theaters and we can all start talking about it. Fortunately, there is a lot to say; as my review explains, the film is a veritable layer cake of horror concepts and subgenres. Not to mention, it’s a film that features remarkable performances from its two leads, Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland. There’s a lot to discover in “Keeper,” and its surreal narrative raises questions that the film’s conclusion doesn’t fully answer.
One very exciting element is the film’s creature designs. While “Keeper” isn’t a monster movie in the same way as “Alien” or “A Quiet Place,” it tackles creature functionality impressively, providing not one but several types of scary new beasts. These monsters aren’t arbitrary creepy crawlies either, but have deep connections to the larger themes and narrative of “Keeper.” Like the film to which they belong, they contain elements of influence from various sources. There’s a bit of Junji Ito in it, a bit of “Silent Hill”, theatrical antecedents (like Kabuki makeup and Commedia dell’arte) as well as a reminiscence of the genre films of Ken Russell and Neil Jordan. All of this makes “Keeper” Creatures a real treat for horror fans, introducing images that are sure to linger in some of our nightmares to come.
The monsters in Keeper are both nightmarishly surreal and narrative-driven.
To be fair, the creatures in “Keeper,” while incredibly plot-relevant, are seen for about 8 minutes total of a 99-minute film. Perkins and his team increase that unknown factor surrounding “The Children,” as they are called, by making it an aesthetic but varied piece. Although they all (except one) have white Kabuki/dell’arte masks for faces, they seem to have different attributes: one has smoke (or gas?) coming from their vents, another has a long tentacle-like neck, and so on. The mix of practical makeup effects and CGI effects work in tandem to make The Children nightmarishly surreal, and their mix of the tangible and the intangible makes them indelible.
However, there is one that is not like the others, and although this creature does not have a name, it is very clear who and what it is. As it is said in the film, these are all the women Malcolm has nursed children over the centuries as payment for his continued prosperity and immortality. It turns out that these victims were not completely devoured as he assumed, and that some version of their personality survives in this amalgam creature, a thing with one body but many faces. She is the living revenant of Malcolm’s crimes, as well as the embodiment of female vengeance who helps choose Liz as his new mother.
Although “Keeper” is a standalone film, its creature design is so frightening and unique that the film will not be easily forgotten. Who knows, maybe Perkins could find another story in which the kids could appear, just like Parker Finn allowed Lollipop to return in “Smile 2.” When it comes to new movie monsters, “Keeper” makes sure that we and the kids eat very well.
