THE LODGE

I first saw this film way back in February. With the film officially now available to buy and rent, I figured it's high time I sung it's praises!

Don't you love it when a film commits?

In The Lodge, we follow Aiden (Jaeden Martell), Mia (Lia McHugh), and Grace (Riley Keough). Aiden and Mia are upset over their father (Richard Armitage) dumping their mother (Alicia Silverstone) for the subject of his new book on cults, Grace (who herself is the sole survivor of a doomsday suicide cult her father was the leader of). A few months after a family tragedy, Aiden and Mia are holed up with Grace in their families vacation lodge (in the dead of winter) by their father. He does so in the hope that the three might finally be able to bond, though his timing is terrible. When he leaves on business, Aiden, Mia and Grace find themselves snowed in and it isn't long before tensions rise.

The Lodge is fully committed to being an ultra-dark psychological horror film. It enjoys screwing with audience's minds and succeeds in getting viewers to question the reality of what they are seeing. The film switches perspectives throughout, and this helps to keep movie-goers on their toes. Our three leads are fantastic. Jaeden Martell and Lia McHugh are great at playing somewhat sympathetic brats (with Martell being the brattier of the two). McHugh completely owns a heart-breaking scene where she breaks down in sobs. Armitage is also great as the ethically-challenged father who has good intentions at his heart, but is still heavily flawed.

It's Riley Keough as Grace who steals the show though. She convincingly portrays a woman who is doing her best to deal with severe psychological trauma while also trying to befriend her potential step-children who have made it abundantly clear they hate her guts. Grace has a lot on her plate, and when she misplaces her meds and things at the lodge turn dark, she starts a terrifying downward spiral. You can't help but feel for Grace as she only ever wants to do good, but finds herself placed in increasingly challenging situations.

The Lodge is an expertly directed and written by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz (with Sergio Casci assisting with the script). Fiala and Franz are no stranger to dark films surrounding kids, as they previously directed Goodnight Mommy. The Lodge is definitely a step up for the two. The score by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans is haunting and gorgeous, relying at times on transcendent yet terrifying church organ music. The cinematography by Thimios Bakatakis is stark and impressive.

The Lodge is a film that effectively tackles themes of grief, familial tensions, and mental illness. It's dark, bleak, unforgiving, and mean as hell. The Lodge is not only one of the best (if not THE best) horror film of 2020, it's also easily one of the best modern day horror films PERIOD! It's a must-see!

5 STARS