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.

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.

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.

The Lodgers is an Irish made horror which looks like a Hollywood movie complete with production values and standard genre flaws.

It tells the tale of a brother & sister living in a mysterious house who must follow certain rules to not upset a supernatural entity that appears to be present within the same walls.

It's bleak, it's moody and truth be told it really isn't that interesting. Though it certainly looks the part there isn't much of value to see!

Starring Game of Thrones stars David Bradley & Eugene Simon by the time the movie goes anywhere it's pretty much over already. It's a slow burn with no payoff and the journey is uninteresting and lifeless.

Visually a triumph for Irish cinema, on every other level a complete failure.

The Good:

Looks great

Couple of interesting ideas

The Bad:

Lifeless

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Horror movies with a coherent plot are few and far between

People in movies can hold their breath for considerably longer than the real world

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.