COMPANION

Sophie Thatcher as Iris

COMPANION (2025). Written and directed by Drew Hancock.

Josh (Jack Quaid) brings his girlfriend Iris (Sophie Thatcher of The Boogeyman) to the impressive home of Sergey (Rupert Friend) for a weekend in the country. Other guests include Sergey's girlfriend Kat (Megan Suri) and the gay couple Eli (Harvey Guillan) and Patrick (Lukas Gage). It isn't long, however, before one of those aforementioned winds up dead, and a highly bizarre secret is revealed. Then it's a question of who will be left alive before it's all over and the chase is on.

Jack Quaid

I have deliberately not revealed too much of the plot of Companion because I knew little about it when I watched it and I think that made it all the more surprising and entertaining, as it has several twists. Initially I felt that this bizarre story would work better in a shorter length, but the film managed to keep me absorbed in any case, and is well-acted by all. I will say that Companion is a far-fetched but compelling black comedy that does borrow from a few other films for its basic premise, but manages to strike an original tone as well. Jack Quaid is the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.

Verdict: Into the Twilight Zone. ***. 

THE BOOGEYMAN (2023)

Chris Messina

THE BOOGEYMAN (2023). Director: Rob Savage.

After the death of his wife, psychiatrist Will Harper (Chris Messina) is left to raise two daughters. Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) is a teenager and her little sister, Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair), is scared of the dark and of monsters under her bed. A strange man, Lester Billings (David Dastmalchian), comes to Will's house to seek help, and tells him that all of his children were killed by some strange creature, then commits suicide. Sawyer is convinced that now this same monster is hiding in their house, waiting until dark, and neither Sophie nor her father believe her ... at first. Sadie goes to talk to Billings' widow, Rita (Marin Ireland), and finds she is living in squalor, hoping she can destroy the thing that wiped out her family. But even when Sophie and Will realize Rita is telling the truth, they many have a very hard time getting rid of this ancient demon.

Sophie Thatcher with Messina

Based on a short story by Stephen King, The Boogeyman is slick and well-acted, has some decent FX work and a couple of scary sequences, but suffers from its sheer overfamiliarity. You just get the feeling you've seen the whole thing before -- there is absolutely nothing distinctive, original, nor unique about the movie. It's well-done for what it is, but it just doesn't amount to much. Chris Messina is very appealing as the father, however, and Thatcher and Blair are quite effective.