LOCKBOX

(director: Daniel Stamm; screenwriters: Justin Yoffe, based on the Knifepoint Horror Podcast by Soren Narnia; cinematographer: Alphonso Chin; editor: Bridget Durnford; music: Matthew Rogers; cast: Carla Gugino (Ellen), Lou Taylor Pucci (Winthrop), Kevin McNulty (Father Caldwell), Donald Sales (Det. Rousch), Katherine Isabelle (Vahna), Aedan Edwards (The Boy); Runtime: 105; MPAA Rating: R; producer: Kearie Peak; Aura Entertainment/Dark Castle/Capstone Studios; 2026-UK/Canada/USA)

“Silly supernatural thriller.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
 
The silly supernatural thriller is based on a tale by Soren Narnia on the Knifepoint Horror Podcast. It’s directed by Daniel Stamm (“Prey for the Devil”/”13 Sins”) and written by Justin Yoffe. It addresses questions about PTSD, but fails to answer any questions raised.

After caring for her sick mom who dies, Ellen (Carla Gugino), a former fashion designer, relocates to a new town. She takes in her troubled Army vet cousin Winthrop (Lou Taylor Pucci), though not seeing him for 30 years, who suffers from PTSD and sleepwalks.

The first half of the film is sluggishly paced, resulting in a dull film that will lose most viewers.

The second half features a nonsensical story featuring body swapping, demons, possession (a murdered woman neighbor, the nosy Vahna, played hellishly by Katherine Isabelle, as Winthrop’s accused of murdering her).

The film makes no sense, the dialogue is clunky and the acting is putrid except for the committed performance by Gugino. There’s a weird plot, I won’t reveal, that involves a thing going on between the soft-spoken Winthrop and his hostile neighbor Vahna. And, of course, there’s that scary lockbox.

Explanations for what’s happening are either not given, or senseless when given, or become a drag when over-explained.

This is a confusing B-film in need, mostly, of a better script.

REVIEWED ON 7/5/2026  GRADE: C
dennisschwartzreviews.com