‘Companion’ Gave 2025 It’s Gnarliest, Most Cathartic Kill So Far

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Movie Features

Weapons are one of the most underappreciated parts of the horror genre. From Jason Voorheese's machete to Freddy Kreuger's iconic finger knives, it's these memorably murderous tools that people associate with each killer and help the movies linger in people's nightmares long after they're done watching. It benefits a horror film greatly to create a uniquely horrific murder weapon, an observation that Drew Hancock's Companion clearly took to heart. Companion, for the most part, does not have the classical hallmarks of a horror movie like masked killers and their signature weapon; following a young woman who learns that she's an android being manipulated by her "boyfriend," the few kills throughout its plot are straightforward in terms of method and weapon. This is to emphasize that the real terror is the abuse she faces, but despite its thematic focus, the movie assures viewers that its antagonist will meet his rightful end before the credits have rolled.

Companion promises the cathartic kill of a villain they'll quickly grow to hate, with eagle-eyed watchers keeping this in mind and scouring every scene for some hint at what will be this antagonist's demise. It's a thrilling game that ends in the most shocking way imaginable, with Companion subverting all expectations one final time by reminding horror fans of something they should always remember: in this genre, anything — even a basic kitchen utensil — can be terrifying.

You Don’t Want This Kind of ‘Companion’

While it never tries to hide its deeper themes, Companion thrives at constantly misleading the audience about what will happen next. The film follows Iris (played expertly by Yellowjackets' Sophie Thatcher), a kind young woman nervous about a weekend away with her boyfriend, Josh (Jack Quaid), and his friends at a resplendent lakehouse. The first few scenes show viewers how the pair met, an adorable meet-cute at a supermarket that Iris describes in voice-over as one of the two moments in her life when she felt like she was truly embracing the world around her — with the second being when she killed Josh. With that blatant foreshadowing, Companion sends audiences down an investigative spiral as they try to identify when and with what tool cinema's most manipulative boyfriend will meet his end.

Horror fans are inclined to follow the tenets of "Chekhov's Gun" (the rule that an object introduced early in a film must be used later) and were sure to keep an eye on the guns, switchblades, and broken bottles that litter this first act. Yet this shows how much Companion enjoys toying with its viewers because, after supplying so many obvious murder weapons, it startles us by revealing what tool Iris will actually use to finally attain her bloody freedom: an electric wine opener.

Pearl smiles with her bloodied fingers pressed to her lips and holds an axe as a spotlight shines on her

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Companion is a film that revels in playing with tropes, not only through twisting the cute dynamics of romantic comedies but even in its kills; the movie features scenes like Iris jamming a switchblade into a man's neck in a particularly gory moment... which exists in countless other horror movies. It recognizes the cliché aspects of storytelling that fans know and uses these against them, turning typically memorable moments into distractions for the real weapon that our hero will use in her final act. Because, funnily enough, the wine opener does follow the rules of Chekhov's Gun (Chekhov's wine opener?); this concept applies to items that seem unimportant but are featured often enough that they hold clear significance for the plot, with the film featuring various shots of our main characters using the wine opener and demonstrating how it works.

It is shown only as set dressing for each scene, though, never the focus — which means audiences don't realize how dangerous it can be until Iris slams it against Josh's temple, presses the button, and it begins to pulverize his skull. She (and the viewers) gets a disgustingly close look as the screw burrows itself into the man's brain, turning it into mush while his eyeball is almost forced out of its socket and blood seeps out of the (perfectly spiral) wound. Audiences have seen corkscrews used as weapons before in horror movies like Hush, but these are often just sharp tools used to stab, making the electronic elements of this kill not only creative but hilariously fitting for this android-filled plot. It's the gnarliest death 2025 has seen so far, and its subversive disgust encapsulates what makes Companion so exceptional.

Companion Just Gave You a New Favorite Horror Weapon

While Companion's final wine opener kill is certainly cathartic, it may leave genre fans wanting. Although it's terrifying to watch Josh's brain get reduced to dribble, the moment lacks the bountiful blood and gore audiences may be used to and that they feel a character like this deserves. Yet that would undercut one of Companion's central themes: the worst horrors aren't always gory. What Iris has faced throughout her robotic life was completely blood-free yet utterly horrific, with the movie showing the small ways a partner can be abusive and using the abruptness of its kills to emphasize that they aren't the most disgusting parts of this plot. By having such a small yet hugely impactful tool be what finally earns her freedom, Companion exemplifies its core themes — while creating one of the most hilariously memorable and shockingly destructive murder weapons in horror.