The Lodgers

As the title of this review states, the film had several things going for it. The location was amazing, the acting very good and the atmosphere that the film created was very effective.

However, in terms of story and horror the film just did not deliver. It never lifted itself to reach any satisfying level after the promising start. The mythology it eventually revealed was stupid. Boring.

I am very forgiving of horror films and I so much wanted to love this after the first few minutes drew me in. But it was unlovable.

On the surface, The Lodgers is a gorgeous gothic tale reminiscent of Edgar Allen Poe or classic Hammer Horror Production. Between the haunting estate or its eerily enchanting woods, you'll want to love the macabre romance of it all. The first half of the film will reel you along, making you wonder: "What potentially Lovecraftian terror dwells under the house? Who haunts this family? What the hell is going on?"

Unfortunately, as The Lodgers very tediously reveals BITS of information, you feel the spell lifting. Through the pseudo-intellectual rambling of its lead character ("Love! Love can be worse than hate!") and frustratingly vague expositions, you'll realize that the world above is so much more interesting than the mysterious lake and basement below.

In its final minutes, The Lodgers gives its viewers a passionless conclusion to a very underdeveloped mystery. This movie had SO much potential, and it's really tragic this genre of horror has had so little traffic in the past few decades. That said, it's still a beautiful looking tale worth the watch for fans of gothic horror and the Victorian aesthetic. Don't expect much in terms of storytelling, however.

Gothic apparently equals dull in the minds of the filmmakers who created this yawner.

Blah blah blah Ireland. Blah blah blah Ghosts Blah blah blah Something happens. Unfortunately for the viewer that something is 85 minutes after you stopped caring. Could have been a lot better if it had been a lot faster paced and scarier. It isn't and it wasn't.

An interesting concept that suffers from poor writing. Weird things happen without rhyme or reason and the audience is never given an explanation for anything. Minor conflicts in the movie happen for the sake of taking up time to bring it to an hour and a half and no resolutions are ever provided The acting isn't horrible, I guess.

In Ireland, in the 20´s, the twins Rachel (Charlotte Vega) and Edward (Bill Milner) live in a dilapidated manor in the estate that belongs to their family. They believe the place is haunted and follow three rules of survival: they must be in bed by midnight; they may not allow a stranger to cross the threshold; and they must stay together. When they are eighteen, their tutor and lawyer Bermingham (David Bradley) advises that they must sell the real estate since their trust fund is exhausted but Edward is reluctant to leave the property. When Rachel is flirted by the handicapped soldier Sean (Eugene Simon) that returned from the war to his family house at the nearby village, she feels a great attraction and breaks the rules imposed by The Lodgers with tragic consequences.

"The Lodgers" is a melancholic Irish ghost story with a wonderful cinematography. The non-commercial story has ambiguous interpretation until the conclusion when the truth about the place and the twins is disclosed. The plot is developed at a slow pace and has no gore, and maybe this is the reason to have negative reviews. However it is worthwhile watching by fans of ghost stories. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): Not Available