The Lodge is a psychological/supernatural horror film that deals with concepts of loss, grief, and trauma. The film tells the story of two children, Aidan (Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh), whose mother (Alicia Silverstone) has recently committed suicide. Their father (Richard Armitage) is getting married again and, in an effort to get the children to bond with his fiancee, Grace (Riley Keough), he lets her babysit them at the family’s lodge in the country. Grace struggles to connect with her two resentful soon-to-be step-children, but as the snow piles up and she starts to unravel, it seems that the tension between them may be the least of her worries.
The Lodge feels, in many ways, like the culmination of a lot of the current trends in horror cinema. It is tense and psychological, like many of the films being produced by the current American horror revival. It wears its influences on its sleeve, which include but are not limited to: Hereditary, The Shining, and The Thing.
The Lodge blends isolation horror with Christian religious horror and psychological horror, all in one approximately 2 hour film. These subgenres can and do coexist with one another, but they cause the film to lack clarity and focus. I’m sure that the filmmakers could have done one of these concepts very well, but as it is The Lodge feels like many different films all mixed together. That said, what truly elevates this film are its performances. Keough delivers a compelling portrayal of a woman just doing her best to live given her continually unfortunate circumstances. Martell and McHugh are excellent, conveying visceral grief and anger. However, these performances are dragged down somewhat by the film’s writing and editing, as it is unclear who exactly the audience is supposed to believe or root for at any given time. The audience is first and most often shown the children’s perspective, but as the film progresses, it becomes clearer and clearer that Grace has the most depth to her and would probably work better as the focal point of the film.
Indeed, aside from the previously mentioned genre issues, it is this film’s editing that truly drags it down. The first half hour, all showing the death of the children’s mother and the build up to their journey to the titular lodge, could have been cut. This would have made for a better paced and more engaging film. If the film had hinted at the mother’s suicide rather than showing it to the audience, not only would it have been more tasteful, but it also would have made the audience work for the information. Not everything needs to be spelled out, especially in horror.
Beyond the first section of the movie, the slow build that is at the heart of psychological horror could have been stronger. The third act twist entirely pulls the rug out from under it. While this isn’t always a bad thing, the film is left feeling somewhat directionless as the audience struggles to come to terms with the new information that they’ve been given. The ending, as well, leaves something to be desired. To put it bluntly (as well as vaguely, for spoiler’s sake), it’s something we’ve seen a thousand times before. Prior to the twist, the film is genuinely engaging. While it did still rely on familiar horror tropes, it was at least attempting to do something that hasn’t been done to death. The film would have been better if it had stuck to its proverbial guns, rather than taking a sharp turn towards familiar territory.
The Lodge is a fairly good horror film. It is well shot, well acted, and certainly fear-inducing. Fans of Keough or isolation-based psychological horror in the vein of The Shining or The Lighthouse won’t want to miss this. However, aside from some great acting and nicely lit shots, there’s nothing in The Lodge that hasn’t been done better somewhere else. It offers familiar fears in a familiar package to a public which has, at this point, grown accustomed to the tricks of modern horror cinema. The Lodge, however, has none of the innovation or relevance to modern society that new great horror films have. It is good, but nothing new or extraordinary.
3/5 STARS