The Lodge

The movie started out great, a visual buffet with horror subtlety sprinkled all around promising a visceral ride, the first act left me feeling excited with anticipation of things to come. The last act of the film wasn't bad either, delivering truly horrific anticipation of things to come, but nothing ever really manifested.

In the end, I believe the pace of the film is too slow for such a thin plot. The visual story stops being impressive after the firs act, the second act is way too slow, and the third act left me, and I believe much of the audience feeling rather disappointed with the flick.

In the end, if you're looking for a classic scare, I think the movie is not for you; if however, you enjoy visual story telling, and don't mind a slow pace, then it might be worth a shot.

I am not surprised at all at the negative reviews. This movie starts well, sets up the story well and then falls flat so hard it's like taking the popcorn out of the oven as soon as one pops - it smells nice, but in reality you're left with only hard, tasteless kernels.

Let's address the elephant in the room. This is NOT an intelligent movie. However, it does have enough pretentious cinematography to make some people think it is. That being said I am a fan of said cinematography AS A SET UP, but not as your entire substance. I have no idea why some people are calling this innovative as it simply isn't. Long drawn out shots of a darkened empty hallway or a window while someone frantically plucks at an untuned violin and radio-filtered whispers is neither ground-breaking not original. Yes, it's uncomfortable so overdoing it will elicit an emotional reaction, which some people mistake for the effect of good writing.

Now, beyond the elephant. The story goes absolutely nowhere. If the movie is original with anything it's that the ending is so mediocre and so little attempt has been made to make it interesting that it's a rarity in the genre. If you know there is no twist ending you can guess the finish a good 15 minutes after the word go. The characters are profoundly unlikable aside from the dad, who appears briefly at the beginning and the end. There is "creepy" scenes which go nowhere and have absolutely no explanation, nor do they contribute to the plot (I am looking at you 100 snow angels).

That being said I do appreciate movies which try to at least get part of the equation right and this one, as stated above, has a good first part. Now, if only movie-makers learned that you need to know how to finish a story too. So, while I wouldn't wholeheartedly recommend it, if you're into eating only the first couple of popcorns of the bunch and being disappointed by the rest, go for it. Just be warned - the moment you start asking yourself "ok so where is this all going" is the moment when you know the movie is well past its peak".

I attended the east coast premiere of "The Lodge" a few weeks ago and can say it will most likely be 2020's most polarizing and divisive horror release.

If you've seen Franz & Fiala's last film, "Goodnight Mommy," you'll have an idea of what to expect in terms of tone and themes. The cinematography is breathtaking, and Riley Keough's performance is unbelievable. Like "Mommy" the central characters are two siblings who are up against some sort of unknown/unstable maternal presence while existing in isolation. Instead of a vast, lonely European farm, "The Lodge" features exactly what the title suggests -- a mountain lodge in the middle of nowhere. It's so well done that you can almost feel the icy frost in the theater as the film progresses.

Franz & Fiala take a lot of cues from Ari Aster, ESPECIALLY "Midsommar," in depicting sudden tragedy and brutal, existential grief that consistently drips off the screen. Additionally, there are underlying themes of mental illness and psychosis that are done really well and tactfully -- although I might add it may not seem so at first. Sorry if that's cryptic, I just don't want to give any spoilers. The ending will knock you on your ass. I couldn't move after the screening, I was frozen for half the credit roll, and couldn't stop thinking about it for days.

I highly recommend "The Lodge" for fans of Aster's work, or if you liked "Goodnight Mommy" and want more of the same slow-burn insanity.

I've given this a six because we were both effectively creeped out and very impressed with cinematography and the film's immediacy for the front half. The key plot point of why the Dad left his kids in the situation he did wasn't credible but I was willing to go with the premise...up to a point.

I lost confidence in the film's direction when the "mystery" began to be explained. It felt as though the writers decided there HAD to be a violent resolution to the story (and somewhat of a nod to the morbid religiosity that had been pointed to.)

We were a little disgusted with a pat ending after such early promise of something different. I also get tired of films where someone takes it out on an innocent animal to create fear and foreshadow things are going to get really bad for the humans.

Two Children Still Suffering from the very Disturbing Loss of Their Mother are Cooped Up in an Isolated "Lodge" with Their New Step-Mother During a Snowstorm.

The Step-Mother, who by the way, is Blamed by the Children as the Reason They Lost Their Mom.

She is also a Traumatized Victim of Her Father, a Religious Cult Leader who Led His Flock to Mass Suicide, She was the Only Survivor.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Well as You might have Guessed, Quite a Lot.

The Movie is Atmospheric and Frightful, Disturbing and Gets in Your Brain and Under Your Skin,

The Suspense is nearly Unbearable and Unrelenting, and all Three Actors Deliver Cutting Performances while Spinning the "What is Real and What is Not" Scenario.

More Thriller than Horror, but the "Supernatural" Plays a Significant Part in the Unfolding Plot as the Characters are Coming Unglued from Stability.

The Movie-Makers take No Prisoners with Regards to Shock and Unsettling Occurrences with Chilling Developments and a Stone-Cold, Depressing Tone.

Not a Must-See and Not for Everyone.

But those who Like Their Scary Movies Anchored Internally with Psychological Abnormalities that can Cause Disheveling Behavior...

This one comes with a Strong Recommendation.