The Lodge (2019)
Director: Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz
Stars: Riley Keough, Jaeden Martell, Lia McHughRuntime: 108 minutes
Synopsis: A soon-to-be stepmom is snowed in with her fiancé's two children at a remote holiday village. Just as relations begin to thaw between the trio, some strange and frightening events take place.
Performances: 8/10
Screenplay: 6/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10
Screenplay: 6/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10
Verdict: Branded by many as the next big horror film, I have been eager to check out "The Lodge" ever since the positive buzz about it started spreading around. I have a soft spot for the horror genre, especially the psychological kind, and this one seemed to be right up my alley.
And I'm glad to say that the film did a lot of things right. The gorgeous cinematography complemented by a haunting score did a fantastic job of building up the unnerving atmosphere. An atmosphere made even more effective thanks to Riley Keough's as always great performance. The transformation her character goes through as the film develops in perhaps its biggest asset, because unfortunately, in terms of content, I wasn't as wowed as I was expecting to be. I'll always remember "The Lodge" as being the lesser "Hereditary" because the two share some uncanny similarities. I'm not saying that it's an exact replica of the instant classic directed by Ari Aster, but let's just say that Fiala and Franz's second directorial effort opens from the perspective of a miniature house, and in the very next scene sees a teenage boy and his younger sister attend a funeral that shakes their family and gets them involved with a cult. It was impossible for me not to compare the two films, and there was no question as to which one was the superior family drama/horror. The narrative also took a halt near the middle and I started losing interest in what was going on for a good minute before things started to pick up again.
"The Lodge" remains a well-crafted horror flick that has a lot of positives going for it. It's not a movie I'll be rushing to watch again, but I wouldn't be opposed to revisiting it at some point in the future. Despite my issues with it, I'd still very much say that it's worthy of your time, especially if you're into atmospheric psychological horror films.
And I'm glad to say that the film did a lot of things right. The gorgeous cinematography complemented by a haunting score did a fantastic job of building up the unnerving atmosphere. An atmosphere made even more effective thanks to Riley Keough's as always great performance. The transformation her character goes through as the film develops in perhaps its biggest asset, because unfortunately, in terms of content, I wasn't as wowed as I was expecting to be. I'll always remember "The Lodge" as being the lesser "Hereditary" because the two share some uncanny similarities. I'm not saying that it's an exact replica of the instant classic directed by Ari Aster, but let's just say that Fiala and Franz's second directorial effort opens from the perspective of a miniature house, and in the very next scene sees a teenage boy and his younger sister attend a funeral that shakes their family and gets them involved with a cult. It was impossible for me not to compare the two films, and there was no question as to which one was the superior family drama/horror. The narrative also took a halt near the middle and I started losing interest in what was going on for a good minute before things started to pick up again.
"The Lodge" remains a well-crafted horror flick that has a lot of positives going for it. It's not a movie I'll be rushing to watch again, but I wouldn't be opposed to revisiting it at some point in the future. Despite my issues with it, I'd still very much say that it's worthy of your time, especially if you're into atmospheric psychological horror films.
FINAL GRADE: 6/10
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