The Lodgers

The Lodgers is absolutely beautiful, but even the most gorgeous cinematography can't make up for a lacking story, which this movie undoubtedly has. The film started out alright with an intriguing opening scene and subtle creepiness to grab your attention. I was fully engaged for the first half and again, the atmosphere and cinematography is absolutely everything you could want for gothic horror, but the movie fails miserably in trying to explain the reason behind anything. There is vague mention of why (but not how) this "curse" began but no reason is given as to why it has to continue. So I felt pretty unsatisfied by the end. It's a shame because at first it seemed like it was going to be quite impressive. It's still not a terrible movie to watch on a gloomy day, just nothing to write home about.

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.

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.

A beautiful ghost story about two siblings living in a decaying house around 1920. It's reminiscent of The House of Usher and if you like classic ghost stories like The Woman in Black (less cheesy jump scares) and Crimson Peak (also full of beautiful visuals, but less color and more texture based) then this is for you!

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.