#christmashorror

I didn't want to say anything in front of Mia, but, I had a weird dream last night. Well, uh, a nightmare, but, um, in...in... in the dream the gas heater started smoking and we couldn't breathe...and we suffocated.

Look past the properly-set-up-but-still-improbable development The Lodge features 2/3 of the way through. Focus instead on the atmosphere, the dread permeating throughout, and the scenes you only see peeking through your fingers.

Still reeling from their mother’s death and upset over their father’s choice to remarry, Aidan (Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh) are left alone with their soon-to-be stepmother Grace (Riley Keough) over the Christmas holidays. Their father, Richard (Richard Armitage), hopes quality time in the rural cabin while he finishes some last-minute business will do them all some good. After a snowstorm, unexplainable events seemingly tied to Grace’s past put their lives at risk.

This is a moody, eerie film. Right away, it plays with your psyche. Grace met Richard while he was researching the extremist Christian cult who raised her. Images that in another story would signify salvation invoke fear. A crucifix on the wall makes the voice of her long-dead father (Danny Keough) echo through Grace's head. Every time we see the portrait of Mary in the kitchen, the cracks in the varnish grow more pronounced. A loving mother becomes a ghoul. When Mia prays for her dead mother or blesses a meal, it’s a reminder of a death narrowly escaped. At every turn, all you can think of is the grainy footage captured when the 12-year-old was discovered among the bodies of her former congregation years ago. A sudden blare of organ music startles you not because it’s a loud noise. It’s disconcerting because you're reminded of a church. In this movie, there’s nothing more frightening. Except maybe the lodge at night. It’s like everything about it has been selected to chip away at Grace’s sanity.

You’re unsure if the unease you feel comes from Grace’s head or if there's supernatural goings-on. There’s something not right about Aidan and Mia. He’s nasty when he’s not passive-aggressive. She’s obsessed with this doll that’s clearly an effigy for her dead mother (played by Alicia Silverstone in flashbacks). This whole scenario rubs you the wrong way. You’re not sure how to feel about anyone. Is Grace being punished for “breaking up” Richard and Laura’s marriage? Is this an opportunity for the new mom to prove herself? Is it all tied to her past trauma, or is it a coincidence? You don't know. Finding out means facing your fears but what kind of horrors await? Is this all psychological? Is there a ghost haunting Grace? If so, whose?

The camerawork, moody color palette, and sound design all work together to prop up an excellent script. Riley Keough, in particular, is alternatively vulnerable, sympathetic, panic-inducing, and terrifying. Your eyes are glued onto her every move and emotion. Are certain aspects of the story improbable? Yes. You have to look at this less as a "could it happen" and instead as a "what would happen"? Does plausibility matter when the end results are this effective anyway? The Lodge will have you sweating just looking at a dark corner. That’s the mark of an excellent horror film. (November 9, 2020)

Roller Disco Massacre’s The Night Sitter VHS cover