Mouser

Film: Mouser

Year: 2026

Director: Mary Patel-Gallagher

Writer: Mary Patel-Gallagher

Starring: Romina Valenti, Gavin O’Fearraigh and Stephen A. Moeller

Review:

This was a film that I got the chance to see thanks to Breaking Glass Pictures. Lauren reached out with a press release that this is coming to VOD. Since this was in the horror genre and a 2026 release, I agreed to check it out for review. I did see a bit of the synopsis ahead of agreeing. Other than that, I did come into this one blind.

Synopsis: a mentally ill woman has visions of a demonic cat that tells her to do bad things.

We start this by meeting our lead character, Eleanor (Romina Valenti). She works from home for a warranty company. We see her take a couple of calls and then go on break. It is here that her mother calls (Maria Abreu). It is through this conversation we learn that Eleanor has mental issues. She’s been in therapy and has new medication. Her mother wants her to move back home to save money and finish school. Eleanor points out that she needs independence and forces herself to do things on her own.

Eleanor then gets a phone call from her friend Jessica (Anastasia Lutz). She is with Lauren (Emma Cat) and they’re getting ready to go to a party that night. They invite her. Eleanor is leery. She is still getting used to her new medications. Due to them, she’s not supposed to consume alcohol. They are able to sway her on coming out.

The party is at a house that is being rented by Ian (Gavin O’Fearraigh). Eleanor finds her friends and we see that Lauren is judgmental, of what she chose to wear and her not doing what she considers to be fun. This evening takes a turn when Eleanor is left with the bartender (Eugen Gallagher). He convinces her to try mezcal. Eleanor acknowledges how strong it tastes. He then mixes it into a margarita for her. This causes her to spiral and fall asleep. Her friends cannot wake her. Ian puts their fears to ease so that she can stay the night. He will take her home in the morning.

Eleanor has an odd dream where she sees a large cat. This is Stephen A. Moeller in costume. It has the name Mouser. This figure tells Eleanor that she will do whatever it tells her to.

She then wakes up the next morning and sees Ian. He fills her in on what happened. He gives her a cup of tea. There is an attraction here and he asks her to dinner that night. He also offers to take her home.

What then seems like a whirlwind romance takes another odd turn. She goes home with Ian. He then handcuffs her to the bed. He puts on a bird mask that resembles plague doctor masks. He puts a mouse mask on Eleanor. The two then make love. The following morning, he tells her that he will be going away. She’s free to use the house while he’s away. Eleanor is then visited by Mouser, who wants her to don a wig and go out to find a victim. Things spiral from here but then become a determination of what is real and fantasy.

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is by saying that this film does have good elements to it. The poster hooked me. The basic premise is something that we’ve seen before, but I still like it. We have a mentally unstable person who consumes alcohol while on powerful medication and it messes with her head. We also see the dangers of not being truthful with your doctor and support system. This does unfortunately fall short with the handling of elements unfortunately.

Let’s start with our lead character, Eleanor, since this is a character study of her. I think how Valenti plays the role is good. We see that she’s stable from the opening scene. The cracks that we see start when her mother is pressuring her to move home. Then her friends do the same in getting her to come out. That continues with Lauren critiquing what she’s wearing and then for not drinking. We see her grip on the reality that she is trying to maintain and start to slip. After seeing Mouser and then going out with Ian starts the spiral to where she ends up.

Another positive for me is how creepy Mouser is. This entity looks like something out of Alice in Wonderland. The fact that it is a person in a costume adds to it. The surreal look and just knowing that this is a figment of her imagination is good. It reminded me of the Son of the Sam killer, who claimed that his neighbor’s dog told him to do what he did. Using this a bit more would help. To my knowledge this figure is only seen a few times. I do think it would enhance what we get to see this entity pushing her to do a bit more.

Now I do need to go over to a gripe. I’m not going to spoil what happens, but this uses a plot convention that I hate. For me, it undoes everything that the film does by using it. The only thing that I will say is that it uses it in a way where everything that we saw is going to happen, but it just hasn’t yet. It just feels unneeded and there are better ways to handle things. I understand why though, with something that is asked to Eleanor multiple times.

To ensure all themes are addressed: the piece shows how fragile people’s mental states can be. The “cat and mouse” game with sanity is clear when Eleanor wears a mouse mask and is visited by a cat. There are also hints of unresolved trauma and its burden, though this needs more development to fully land. The story explores temptation and dark impulses, with Eleanor acting on the latter in her fragmented state. Finally, it emphasizes psychological isolation; Eleanor is a strong example of someone who likely shouldn’t work from home, despite being capable in her job.

Turning to the rest of the acting performances, Valenti deserves credit as Eleanor, starting meek before taking a darker turn through nudity and a costumed outing—an intriguing choice. Lutz works as her true friend while Cat, someone who peer pressures her, isn’t as good for her mental state. Moeller brings a good voice and physicality to Mouser, while O’Fearraigh works well as Ian. The rest of the cast fills out the film as needed.

As for the filmmaking aspects, the cinematography and framing are effective, with some interesting choices and well-handled surreal elements. Mouser has a creepy presence, and the mostly practical effects, including the cat, work well, with any CGI blending in fine. My main issues were with the sound, including one early moment when the music was too loud and instances of uneven mixing.

In conclusion, this is a film with an interesting premise, a strong lead performance from Valenti and a creepy central entity that helps give the movie its unsettling atmosphere. I liked the way it explores mental instability, isolation, temptation and the blurred line between reality and fantasy. The practical effects, framing and surreal imagery also help the film stand out. That said, some story choices undercut the impact for me, especially the plot convention it relies on, and the sound mix has a few noticeable issues. Overall, this is a flawed but intriguing psychological horror film that has enough strong elements to make it worth a look, even if it does not fully capitalize on its potential.

My Rating: 5 out of 10