An eight-year-old girl asks her scheming neighbor for help in killing the monster under her bed that she thinks ate her family.
Posted: January 14, 2026
I just finished watching Dust Bunny, and let me say right away – don’t let the title or cover art fool you. At first glance, it looks like a family-friendly Disney-style movie about a cute little dust bunny. That impression makes the R rating even more confusing. In reality, that’s not what this film is or about. After watching, the film didn’t really feel like it needed an R rating at all. A PG-13 label would have made much more sense. It’s definitely not something meant for young kids, but it would be perfectly fine for older viewers and teens.
Despite that initial confusion, I ended up enjoying Dust Bunny for what it is. The story follows Aurora, a ten-year-old girl played by Sophie Sloan, who claims that her parents were eaten by the monster living under her bed. She enlists the help of her neighbor, played by Mads Mikkelsen, to kill it. Mikkelsen’s character happens to be a killer himself and is understandably skeptical of Aurora’s claims. Instead, he believes the “monster” she’s describing is actually made up of people trying to kill him – people who may have accidentally killed Aurora’s parents in the process. In a nutshell, the entire film centers on Aurora’s determination to destroy the monster under her bed.
The movie starts off in a very confusing way. For the first five to ten minutes, I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, and I seriously considered turning it off. Thankfully, I stuck with it. Once Aurora begins interacting with her neighbor, the story becomes much clearer and significantly more engaging.
Both main characters deliver strong performances, and even Sigourney Weaver, who appears in a supporting role, does a great job. The music stood out as one of the film’s strongest elements and helped define the overall tone. The movie isn’t heavy on dialogue, but when characters do speak, there’s often a dry, subtle humor to it. Listening to Mikkelsen attempt to pronounce Aurora’s name throughout the film was rather comical as Aurora constantly had to correct him.
One odd creative choice is the film’s 3:1 aspect ratio, which is used throughout. While I understand what the director was going for, it didn’t feel entirely necessary. Watching it at home made everything look smaller and somewhat compressed, which pulled me out of the experience. I imagine it may have worked better in a theater setting.
The film is labeled as a horror, action, drama, and thriller, and while there are elements of each, none of them dominate. I’d even add fantasy to the mix, as the story essentially plays out like a dark fairy tale about monsters under the bed. There isn’t much outright horror or action; instead, these elements appear in small, subtle doses. Anyone expecting a fast-paced, action-heavy horror movie will likely be disappointed.
Overall, I enjoyed Dust Bunny and don’t regret watching it. While some aspects could have been improved – particularly the acting from a few of the criminal characters – the story, music, and main performances more than make up for it. The CGI is well done and never feels overused. I’d recommend giving this one a chance. And if you find yourself confused at the beginning like I was, stick with it… It eventually comes together and starts to make a lot more sense.
Overall Verdict: Don't be misled by the title or cover art. It's worth a watch for sure but I'd recommend having a big screen TV as the aspect ratio is 3:1.
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