What Keeps You Alive

Play trailer

2:15

What Keeps You Alive

R

2018

1h 39m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

LGBTQ+

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

55 Reviews

44%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Jackie and Jules are a couple celebrating their first anniversary at a secluded cabin in the woods belonging to Jackie's family. From the moment they arrive, something changes in Jules' normally loving wife, as Jackie begins to reveal a previously unknown dark side -- all building up to a shocking revelation that will pit Jules against the woman she loves in a terrifying fight to survive.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Smart, stylish, and well-acted, What Keeps You Alive proves it's still possible to spin an engrossing horror yarn without fundamentally altering established formula.

Read Critics Reviews

Jamie Righetti

IndieWire

10/31/2018

B+

Despite a few predictable beats, "What Keeps You Alive" offers plenty of effective jolts, helped along by the chemistry between leads Anderson and Allen.

Go to Full Review

Brad Wheeler

Globe and Mail

10/31/2018

3/4

That being said, the victory of What Keeps You Alive is not its heart-thumping (and a little too long) second act, but the question of survival versus vengeance the film raises.

Go to Full Review

Dennis Harvey

Variety

10/31/2018

Nonetheless, it's an entertaining and well-crafted effort from a resourceful indie team who've scored enough respectable base hits to date that one might reasonably expect them to deliver a home-run any time now.

Go to Full Review

Ciara Pitts

Vague Visages

12/15/2023

Minihan’s tale is a moody, memorable work of art that dares its audience to meditate on the layers and anxieties of love and deceit.

Go to Full Review

Matt Glasby

Radio Times

03/23/2023

3/5

There is a violent about-turn that will surprise even hardened genre fans, but this is otherwise a not especially original play on the usual hunter/hunted model.

Go to Full Review

Michael Cuby

them.

09/30/2022

An unnerving, bloody thriller, What Keeps You Alive is the perfect offering for queer horror fans looking for some scares that also speak to their own sexual identities.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Skai T.

@RT46035822 May 15

I actually enjoyed this movie

See more

babarizam D

@RT59932316 May 14

Writing is terrible. The film started with confusion. Director should have explained the basic things first. Everything was odd and wrong. It might have work if it was edited differently.

See more

Boudicea R

@BoudiceaR May 8

I watch many horror & thriller movies. I grade using these metrics: -Is there a convincing twist? -was I interested the whole time? -How many times did I say what are you doing/takes me out of the story? -Was the violence/Action/Gore well used and have I not seen it before. I enjoyed this as it checked off a lot of my happy metrics and there was really only one moment/choice where I had what are doing? The actresses did a great job and I don’t feel I wasted any time outside of reading some the audience 1 stars. Ignore the people who only use short sentences or don’t know how to type, spell, or string together a coherent review. It’s probably a bot, a fool, or someone who didn’t even finish it. Also it’s easy to criticize when you don’t create anything but a mediocre review. A 1 star movie is one where even if you’re extremely stoned you still feel like it was a waste of time like you should have cleaned those dishes instead. This isn’t like Leprechaun in The Hood bad.

See more

Andrew W.

@andrewsky May 7

Dumb doesn't begin to describe this idiotic movie. It completely falls apart with the heroine doing the dumbest most unbelievable things. Seriously, dont waste your time with this muddled mess of a movie

See more

Jade G

@RT34506467 May 6

Looked like it could have been good, but the story started falling apart, taking the stiches out does nothing with the already stitch holes and the already healing process was not gonna pass for forensics.

See more

John W.

@RT33662464 Apr 13

I really enjoyed this movie, I almost watched it again.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Colin Minihan

Director

Hannah Emily Anderson

Jackie

Brittany Allen

Jules

Martha MacIsaac

Sarah

Joey Klein

Daniel

Charlotte Lindsay Marron

Young Jackie

Rust Creek

85%

61%

Rust Creek

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Rust Creek

Swallowed

82%

65%

Swallowed

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Swallowed

The Wind

82%

49%

The Wind

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Wind

Pet Sematary

58%

33%

Pet Sematary

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Pet Sematary

Us

93%

62%

Us

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Us

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Happytime Murders Won’t Leave You in Stitches

What Keeps You Alive: Trailer 1

2:15

What Keeps You Alive: Red Band Trailer 1

2:17

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Jackie and Jules are a couple celebrating their first anniversary at a secluded cabin in the woods belonging to Jackie's family. From the moment they arrive, something changes in Jules' normally loving wife, as Jackie begins to reveal a previously unknown dark side -- all building up to a shocking revelation that will pit Jules against the woman she loves in a terrifying fight to survive.

Director: Colin Minihan
Producer: Chris Ball, Kurtis David Harder, Ben Knechtel, Colin Minihan
Screenwriter: Colin Minihan
Distributor: IFC Midnight
Production Co: IFC Films, Digital Interference Productions
Rating: R (Brief Nudity|Bloody Images|Language|Violence)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 24, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 24, 2018
Runtime: 1h 39m