‘Keyhole’: This is The Weirdest Horror Film Streaming Right Now

Horror movies come in many forms, from graphic violence and bloodshed to psychological terror. They invite us to explore our darkest fears and confront disturbing aspects of human nature. Among these films, Guy Maddin’s 2011 surrealist masterpiece ‘Keyhole’ stands out as a particularly bizarre entry.

The film, shot in haunting black and white, delves into generational trauma within a family. Isabella Rossellini and Jason Patric star as a couple caught in a ghostly gangster tale. On a stormy night, Ulysses Pick (Patric) and his gang break into his old family home to retrieve his deceased wife, Hyacith (Rossellini). The home becomes a labyrinth of haunting memories and ghosts, including a drowned girl named Denny (Brooke Palsson) who helps Ulysses piece together his troubled past.

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‘Keyhole’ blends elements of a gangster redemption story with a nightmarish haunted house narrative. The film’s eerie, noir-like atmosphere is filled with unsettling ghosts, each engaged in bizarre behaviour tied to their past lives. For example, there’s a ghost of a handyman who screams while hammering nails, and another who obsessively shakes dice in a strange game of Yahtzee.

The most disturbing scene involves a gangster ghost attempting to assault a woman, only to be electrocuted and condemned to eternal, disinterested intercourse with her. 

Maddin’s film avoids conventional jump scares, instead offering a chilling exploration of the horrors of being eternally trapped by one’s mistakes. The ghosts’ unsettling behaviour and the film’s cryptic symbolism create a unique, deeply disturbing experience that keeps viewers engaged and perplexed, making ‘Keyhole’ a compelling and eerie watch.

–Farheen Ali