Fantastic Fest 2025 Review: THE RESTORATION AT GRAYSON MANOR

The Restoration at Grayson Manor is the brand-new film directed by the multi-talented Glenn McQuaid (I Sell the Dead). It just had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest, and ever since I saw the pitch at Frontieres forever ago, I’ve been dying to see it. What’s the story, you ask? It’s an updated, Gothic horror-melodrama with prosthetic robot hands that kill! (How could one not have fun with this premise?)

This is perhaps an oversimplification, but it’s accurate. The Restoration at Grayson Manor is set in a massive, old mansion, filled with centuries’ worth of historical oil paintings. The manor is actually in the beginnings of being restored when a crew drops a huge mirror on Chris Colfer’s (Glee, Struck by Lightning) spoiled Boyd, thereby slicing off both of his hands. This is in the midst of a confrontation with his mother and matriarch, the supreme Alice Krige (She Will, The Rig, Ghost Story). She is a combination of sight and sound to behold. The way she moves and speaks, her formidable character she’s helped create, everything she does is innately watchable --- especially when she’s in one of her commanding moods, which is always.

All she wants is for her son to carry on the family lineage, but her methods aren’t exactly… empathetic to the nature of her son, who’s 100% gay. He’s also a petulant, privileged jerk, so you know that there will be a ton of verbal (and maybe physical) sparring to come. Fans of soap operas and twisted family tales will have plenty to feast on here.

And because this is a killer hand movie, it’s going to be fun. Here’s the official synopsis:

Musician Boyd Grayson delights in bringing men home to his sprawling family estate for sex, taunting his legacy-obsessed mother with the cruel reminder she’ll never have the grandchildren she craves. When a freak accident leaves him handless and helpless, Jacqueline seizes the opportunity to mold him into the heir she always wanted, outfitting her son with experiment prosthetics wired directly to his subconscious, a gift that comes with a terrible cost for all who enter Grayson Manor. (Those killer hands look great, by the way.)

As catty as Boyd and Jacqueline’s relationship is, you know that they love each other, way deep down inside, despite their disputes. This due to the great performances and the script, written by McQuaid and author/screenwriter/actor Clay McLeod Chapman (Wendell & Wild, Quiet Part Loud, The Boy). You could also watch one scene with these characters to guess that they’re totally co-dependent.

Due to the family’s extreme wealth, Jaqueline transforms a wing of the mansion into a high-tech medical facility and recovery ward. She’s hired a team that builds prosthetic robot hands for Boyd --- with the condition that he gives her an heir. I don’t want to spoil anything, but what follows is a less a comedy of errors and more of a series of schemes that hardly goes right for anyone --- and that’s the point. McQuaid has posted online about the film’s influences, including The Lion in Winter and The Old Dark House.

Additionally, there’s a theme of loss of bodily autonomy in several films coming out in the last year, which points to the continued plight of women in America and other countries. This effects not just Boyd, who wants to be free of all such demands for a child, but for Gabriela Garcia Vargas, who shines as nurse Claudia.

The film is beautifully shot by Narayan van Maele (You Are Not My Mother) and produced by Fantastic Films out of Dublin; specifically by Brendan McCarthy, John McDonnell, and Deirdre Levins. If you’ve seen Woken, Vivarium, or You Are Not My Mother, this is the company behind all of those features. The Restoration at Grayson Manor is another winner.