The Lodge: Movie Review

Ka-chow, here’s your horror enthusiast, back with another review – this time about the movie: The Lodge. It’s a new release so I’ve been careful not to include any spoilers. 

The Movie

Directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, The Lodge is a 2019 psychological horror movie starring Riley Keough, Jaeden Martell, Lia McHugh, Alicia Silverstone, and Richard Armitage. It had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019 and was released in the States in 2020.

The movie is about a woman who plans on marrying a guy with two kids. Because of the death of their mother, the kids don’t want to accept her, so dad thinks – you know what would be a great idea? Send my two kids and my soon-to-be new wife to an isolated lodge for Christmas, oh but I won’t be there because of work.

Oh, and the woman? Yeah, she grew up in a suicide cult and was the only survivor and has tons of mental issues.

But no, it’ll be fine.

The three begin to experience bizarre events that set a sinister tone for the rest of their stay at the lodge. Quelle surprise! 

Review

I know I had a bit of a flippant tone in my description of the plot, but I truly had a good time watching this movie. I did guess the ending around the mid point of the film, but it was still very entertaining. This is definitely a good movie to watch with fellow horror lovers and some popcorn.

Though the ending was a little predictable (to me), I thought the set-up and execution of the whole movie was excellent. I loved the setting, all the actors involved were phenomenal, and the story was so intricate and layered.

The film manages to address the issue of mental illness, suicide, and the issues of trying to blend families after divorce, without it seeming forced.

Would I say it is a “scary” movie? Not truly. It’s more chilling, eerie, and suspenseful. I also liked that the movie didn’t use the “evil stepmother” trope. Just an overall, great movie and I would recommend it to my fellow horror fans. 

Score: 7/10 (I did have to deduct some points due to guessing the ending)

 x P.L. McMillan