Dust Bunny (2025) Spoiler Free Review
With Bryan Fuller making his feature directorial debut, Dust Bunny arrives as one of the most intriguing genre blends of 2025. Known for his richly stylized television work (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies), Fuller brings that same visually inventive flair to the big screen, delivering a horror-tinged fantasy thriller that feels equal parts whimsical, unsettling, and unexpectedly heartfelt.
Premiering at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival before its December 12 theatrical release, the film stars Mads Mikkelsen, Sophie Sloan, Sheila Atim, David Dastmalchian, and Sigourney Weaver.
An eight-year-old girl asks her scheming neighbor for help in killing the monster under her bed that she thinks ate her family.
Film synopsis
The story centers on Aurora, a ten-year-old girl who turns to her mysterious neighbor, played by Mikkelsen, after believing a “monster” devoured her entire family. This neighbor is no ordinary recluse; he’s a professional hitman who specializes in taking down “real-life monsters,” and Aurora is convinced she has one for him to kill. His guilt, coupled with suspicions that assassins may have targeted her family because of him, pulls him into a mission that becomes both a rescue and a redemption journey.
Visually, Dust Bunny is a delight. Fuller crafts a fantasy infused atmosphere that feels like a fusion of Wonka (2023) and the stylized symmetry of Wes Anderson, but filtered through the gritty emotional core of Léon: The Professional and the kinetic action sensibilities of John Wick. The result is a world that’s charming yet eerie, saturated with color yet laced with dread an immediately recognizable extension of Fuller’s storytelling DNA.
The film’s first act is its weakest point, stumbling slightly with pacing and tone setting as it tries to balance whimsy with darkness. However, once the narrative shifts into its action oriented middle section, the film finds its rhythm. The choreography clever, sharp, and surprisingly elaborate leans into Wick-style set pieces without feeling derivative. Fuller gives these sequences personality rather than brute force, allowing moments of humor, charm, and emotional texture to coexist with the violence.
The performances ground the film’s more fantastical elements. Mikkelsen is, unsurprisingly, excellent quiet, dangerous, tender, and effortlessly compelling. Young newcomer Sophie Sloan matches him beautifully, creating a believable father-daughter-style bond that becomes the emotional heart of the story. Their chemistry is the glue that makes the film’s tonal swings work. Supporting players like Sigourney Weaver and David Dastmalchian amplify the film’s eccentric personality with memorable roles that heighten both the tension and the oddball charm.
While Dust Bunny leans more toward fantasy and adventure in its early chapters, its horror elements truly emerge in the third act, paying off the buildup with darker, more monstrous imagery. It’s never too frightening for younger audiences, but it does flirt with the edge of “family-friendly horror,” offering something rare: a horror-adjacent film kids can enjoy without parents worrying it will go too far.
Ultimately, Dust Bunny is not the film many expected, but that’s precisely what makes it refreshing. Its originality, imaginative worldbuilding, and emotional sincerity make it a standout among 2025’s genre releases. Imperfect but deeply charming, Fuller’s debut is absolutely worth watching a surprising blend of sweetness, strangeness, and storytelling bravado.
Dust Bunny is coming to theaters December 12, 2025.