The Lodge: Why you should give the slow suspense horror film a try

Wondering if The Lodge is worth your time? It may be slow and a little puzzling, but don’t let that scare you.

Caution: There are minor spoilers for The Lodge.

In case you didn’t know, there’s a pair of directors/screenwriters by the names of Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz that made a rather amazing horror film called Goodnight Mommy. It’s hailed as one of the greatest horror movies ever made but it isn’t your standard film. A psychological thriller that unravels with a type of twist ending that leaves things up to the audience. In other words, it’s beloved among film nerds but kind of hated by the general population.

Over time, Goodnight Mommy has gathered a somewhat large devoted fanbase and given the chance, The Lodge could do the same. The question is, are people willing to give it a try? For most, that answer would be a hard no.

I don’t have to guess. I know that The Lodge is a film most people will hate, one of those critic darlings that audiences often roll their eyes at. Truth be told, most people want to be entertained and The Lodge is not entertaining. Not at all. It’s not here to have fun or to make us laugh or to make us cry. It’s trying to say something in a very inventive way that happens to be painfully slow and painfully confusing (if you’re not paying attention) and ends without a proper resolution.

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With a 108-minute runtime and only four main characters, there’s a lot of waiting around. The title fits the film perfectly because nearly the entire story takes place in one location. A lodge in the middle of the woods where a woman succumbs to madness. Following a family tragedy brought on by a father’s affair, the children take it upon themselves to punish the woman they hold responsible.

There’s blame from all angles, as well as repentance. Remorse takes the form of a desperate need for atonement and that’s where the madness reveals itself and where The Lodge triumphs. A showcase for internal terror, but you have to be patient. If anything, I’m writing this just to plead with people to be patient and not expect some wild, scary Funny Games type of film. It’s a shame when someone watches an art-house film without knowing it’s an art-house film then gets mad.

It’ll be easy for people to sit through the first hour and grow tired when nothing immediately happens. Be patient. The whole movie is actually a deep dive into the mind of a person that’s become overrun with guilt.

The Lodge will be understood by anyone who’s ever been consumed with fear and guilt. Someone whose feigned indifference when really, they’re fighting through every waking moment. Just like the claustrophobic fear of being trapped inside a house with no way out, guilt eats away at the mind until it becomes too much to bear. Paranoia truly warps reality.

The film stars Riley Keough who carries the film all her own, with Jaeden Martell, Lia McHugh, Alicia Silverstone, and Richard Armitage. If you’re like me, you’ll probably spend the whole movie looking at Riley Keough thinking, “this woman looks just like Elvis Presley”. I’ll save you the trouble of googling her to find out if they’re related and just tell you that yes they are; she’s his granddaughter.

I can’t predict the future but I’m pretty sure this movie will one day be listed as one of the greats of psychological horror. It’s calm and quiet but pure human emotion. Just give it a try.

The Lodge is currently playing in theaters nationwide