LOCKBOX Review: Uneven Supernatural Horror Movie with TWIN PEAKS DNA

David Lynch’s iconic television series Twin Peaks starts as a relatively straightforward murder mystery.

 

Yes, there were some strange occurrences, such as an early flash forward in the Red Room (aka the Black Lodge), but series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost were careful in slowly introducing the strange and the supernatural as the story progressed.

 

The new film Lockbox, which bears numerous similarities to Twin Peaks, follows the same pattern as Lynch’s series in becoming increasingly unusual as the runtime progresses. In turn, director Daniel Stamm crafts a movie that steadily overcomes a slow start to eventually become a solid horror flick.

 

Lockbox begins as a run-of-the-mill, almost mundane thriller, centering on a woman (played by Carla Gugino) who takes in her troubled cousin Winthrop (Lou Taylor Pucci). She notices some strange behavior from Winthrop, which she initially attributes to his troubled upbringing. However, when tensions rise between Winthrop and a neighbor, the film heads in a completely different direction -- one characterized by possession, demons, and body swapping. 

 

Stamm rewards audience members’ patience for tolerating a dull first half, but many will lose interest in the film far before it encroaches on compelling narrative territory. Moving at a sluggish pace, the film introduces bland characters who behave in unnatural and unrealistic ways. This is seemingly not intentional from Stamm, but, rather, the product of clunky dialogue delivered by stilted performers.

 

Winthrop’s behavior, for example, is incredibly alarming, yet Gugino’s character hardly reacts to what she sees. As a result, the film creates a disconnect between the characters and the audience. Sure, there is joy in watching a horror movie and shouting at the screen things like, “Why did she do that?” or “Don’t go in there!” But Lockbox takes this a step beyond.

 

Those patient enough to stick around a slow and frustrating first half will find that Lockbox picks up considerably in its second half. Without getting too much into spoiler territory, Winthrop is revealed to be the subject of a dark plot from the aforementioned neighbor, who’s far more sinister than she initially showed.

 

Winthrop is then possessed by a demon who transfers from the neighbor into him, and it’s here that the Twin Peaks similarities really kick in. The demon taking control of him is reminiscent of the villainous Bob inhabiting the body of Dale Cooper, especially as the demon is shown to only have one real overarching goal: to cause havoc and be evil for the sake of being evil. 

 

These are just some of the intriguing ideas that Lockbox plays with, but the story gets dragged down by a number of factors, even in a much improved second half. Entire plot threads, such as Winthrop’s arrest for murder (and subsequent release as the prosecution look for more incriminating evidence), go nowhere and remain bafflingly unresolved. 

 

The specifics of the method used to combat the demon are also woefully under-explained. The general concept makes sense: a child is seen as a “lockbox,” and can harvest various demons in his mind and body, holding them as prisoners. There isn’t much more of an explanation than that, however, while the film is crying out for more lore or worldbuilding. As it stands, the lockbox idea, while interesting, ultimately represents a massive missed opportunity for the film, as exploring the concept further and providing it with the depth it deserves could have resulted in a truly clever and unique horror movie.

 

Lockbox may only be a box worth opening if one has the patience to withstand a tedious first half and willful oversight to overlook underdeveloped story elements in the second half. Stamm leans on David Lynch’s structure in Twin Peaks by taking his story in increasingly unsettling and supernatural directions and there is certainly disconcerting visuals and moments that will satisfy horror fans.

 

But a more polished script with a greater handling of pacing and willingness to fully flesh out the interesting ideas thrown into the mix would have rendered Stamm’s film a horror gem of 2026. Instead, audiences are left with an enjoyable, yet ultimately unfulfilling movie.