Review: The Lodge

Release date: February 21, 2020
Running time: 108 minutes
Starring: Richard Armitage, Alicia Silverstone, Riley Keough 

The Lodge is a suspenseful psychological horror film that will keep you on the edge of your seat.  Richard (Armitage) drops off his girlfriend Grace (Keough) and his two children at a mountain house during the winter before heading back to the city to finish some work.  Richard hopes that this will be a good opportunity for his girlfriend and kids to experience some forced bonding time.  However, almost as soon as they are dropped off, mysterious things begin to happen at the lodge.  As Grace and the children try to figure out what is going on, Grace's past comes back to haunt her in a very real way. 

The Lodge is one of the most suspenseful movies I have seen.  The movie is built to keep you on the edge of your seat.  The cinematography is amazing with great shots and use of light to keep you guessing what happens next.  This keeps you in suspense by constantly making the audience feel a sense of impending dread.  Even the initial drive up to the lodge, where the camera only shows snow illuminated by the car's headlights and surrounded by overwhelming darkness gives you a feeling of suspense.  The cinematography is complemented by a foreboding soundtrack that escalates your anxiety.  And pretty much every sound in the film is meant to keep you on edge.  From the creepy sounds to the more mundane bangs and creeks of an old house, this movie will keep you wondering what will happen next.  This all works together to create one of the most stressful and deliciously unpredictable films I have seen. 

However, the Lodge is not for everyone.  The story is heavy and scary, with very little explained until the very end.  The characters confront aspects of their past and the trials of their present, causing the perspective to shift quickly.  Sometimes you will wonder if the characters are dreaming or in reality, and this again contributes to the sense of dread this movie promotes.  And the story does go off the rails at the end, but that is part of the overall film.  It didn't feel like the story went in a direction that wasn't predicted, it just went much farther than I anticipated it to go.  For those that like their movies dark and heavy, this is the perfect film for you.  

The Lodge is a suspenseful masterpiece, whose visuals, sounds, and story will keep you on edge from start to finish. 

Rent It