Horror for The Whole Family: Dust Bunny (2025) Review

Dust Bunny may mark Bryan Fuller’s feature debut, but he’s anything but new to the director’s chair. Having worked on projects such as American Gods, and Hannibal, Fuller brings his same artistic flair to his first film as well. Starring Sophie Sloan and Mads Mikkelson, Fuller's film is a whimsical horror fantasy that feels like a mix between a child's bedtime story and a nightmare. 

Growing up in a time when there was a magical element to adventure films, Dust Bunny feels familiar. When eight year old Aurora (Sloan) believes that her parents are eaten by the monster under her bed, she does what any sensible kid would do by hiring her neighbor (Mikkelson) to kill it. She's already warned her parents not to touch the floor, something that carries through the entirety of the film with anyone who comes inside. It's like playing "the floor is lava" but with much higher stakes. After watching her very intriguing neighbor closely, Aurora decides to hire him, though he finds it hard to believe that there's an actual monster under her bed, because as he puts it: "men are the monsters."

Photo Credit: Roadside Attractions

Of course none of this works without performances that understand how to capture the essence of imagination and violence. Sloan has a natural screen presence; she’s witty, grounded, and holds her own right alongside Mikkelsen. He delivers an equally strong performance, but the dialogue between them doesn’t always do their chemistry many favors. Sigourney Weaver's character, who is a sort of handler for Mikkelsen’s character (none of these people have actual names, by the way), is meant to bring the comedy, and she does so, elegantly. The tone gets so playful that the horror edges fade out, even though a few dark moments peek through. There are some welcome surprises from Sheila Atim and David Dastmalchian who artfully fit the off-kilter feel of the film with ease. 

Visually, Dust Bunny is a delightful feast. The color palette leans heavily into those soft storybook blues, greens, yellows, and pink-red hues that give everything a slightly dreamy glow. The costume design follows suit, grounding the whimsy with enough texture to keep it from feeling cutesy. The films that kept popping up on my mind were A Little Princess, Time Bandits, and The Secret Garden (hey, I'm just a girl!). And when the film gets into creature work, Legacy Effects shows up exactly the way you’d hope, though they lean a little to heavily into CGI when it doesn't feel necessary. 

Dust Bunny isn’t flawless. Some of the dialogue stumbles, the tone occasionally tiptoes too far into playful, and the horror edges get softened as the story goes on. But it’s a wildly imaginative ride that carries Fuller’s unmistakable style. Between Sloan’s charm, Mikkelsen’s iconic presence, and the occasional comedic flair from Weaver, the film manages to feel both familiar and entirely its own. It’s a bedtime story with pretty sharp teeth. It's a little dark, a little funny, and a dash of fun. For a feature debut, that’s more than enough to leave you wanting to see what Fuller has coming next. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5