Film reviews and more since 2009

Companion (2025) review

Dir. Drew Hancock

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★

Tis pity that one of the juiciest twists in Companion was revealed in the film’s very first teaser trailer. I can imagine writer/director Drew Hancock crafted his screenplay with a desire to shock the audience early on. Unfortunately, the film had to be released in a day-and-age where studios think we need six trailers, five different commercial spots, and the first 10 minutes of the movie uploaded to the internet before the final product can land in theaters.

If you’ve seen the trailer and already know the secret of Sophie Thatcher’s Iris, the premature reveal doesn’t sink Companion, but it does suck some of the suspense out of the air of the first act. It puts me in a tough position as a critic: do I reveal the twist I’m pretty sure you already know, or do I try to keep things general when summarizing the plot?

Hancock’s film truly benefits those who see it blind, so I will keep things as general as possible. The opening scene shows Iris wandering alone through a grocery store, where she meets the handsome and charming Josh (Jack Quaid). Iris explains via voiceover that meeting Josh was one of the two most important moments of her life.

The other, she adds, was when she killed him.

From there, Josh and Iris drive to a luxurious estate in the middle of a forest where the two plan to party with their friends: Kat (Megan Suri), of whom Iris is very jealous, along with Eli (Harvey Guillén) and his boyfriend, Patrick (Lukas Gage). There’s something more to this gathering than drinking and debauchery, and we note that early on by the feeling of an unspoken tension in the air. Kat tells Iris that she makes her feel “replaceable.” Josh’s friends seem weirdly off-put by Iris’ presence. Josh slowly reveals himself to be anything but a dream guy. That said, he’s still not the biggest douchebag in the house. In fact, the property is owned by a wealthy Russian socialite named Sergey (Rupert Friend), who is an integral piece in Josh and his friends’ plans.

After dazzling with personality and crackling dialog in last year’s Heretic, Sophie Thatcher solidifies herself as a bona fide horror superstar in Companion. Hancock’s script requires her to be a mousey fly-on-the-wall for much of the first half, but brilliantly allows her to evolve into an intelligent and justifiably vindictive individual. Quaid’s true colors are similarly revealed in a slowburn sense, and you get the feeling that he loves positioning himself as a well-meaning guy only to slowly show he’s anything but.

You might be surprised at how elements of comedy and mystery overtake Companion. This isn’t a criticism, for when the film does shift its tone to horror, it proves quite effective, but Hancock doesn’t miss when it comes to milking this premise for some of its inherent comedy. I presume some of the influence comes from producer Zach Cregger, whose film Barbarian vaulted him as one of the most promising new voices in horror. Cregger’s background is in comedy, and his horror debut had more than a few instances of effective humor.

With that in mind, Hancock balances the romance, mystery, horror, and comedy elements very effectively. This isn’t a film that’s easily classifiable, and its inventiveness almost operates as an affront to conventionality. Companion reminded me a little bit of Ready or Not ala the growing consciousness of Samara Weaving’s Grace realizing her dream wedding is instead a nightmare of survival. Part of the film’s appeal is its willingness to play with its concept. It sets up clearly defined rules that it plays with and develops over the course of a briskly paced 97 minutes. Even when it leans on genre familiarity, it has a reason for it. All the more reason Warner Bros. should’ve taken a Neon-esque approach with their marketing and not let the audience in on the film’s boldest revelation.

Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, and Rupert Friend. Directed by: Drew Hancock.

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About Steve Pulaski

Steve Pulaski has been reviewing movies since 2009 for a barrage of different outlets. He graduated North Central College in 2018 and currently works as an on-air radio personality. He also hosts a weekly movie podcast called "Sleepless with Steve," dedicated to film and the film industry, on his YouTube channel. In addition to writing, he's a die-hard Chicago Bears fan and has two cats, appropriately named Siskel and Ebert!

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