The Lodge: Blurring The Lines Between Reality and Hallucination

The Lodge is a horror movie starring Riley Keough, Richard Armitage, Alicia Silverstone, Jaeden Martell, and Lia McHugh. Richard and Alicia are parents to Jaedan and Mia. The parents are in the process of divorce and Riley is the dads new girlfriend. The opening shots of the movie show the family house with a lot of empty rooms. There is a feeling of isolation that will be one of the main themes of The Lodge.

The mom dies unexpectedly and six months later the family goes to their winter house for Christmas. The dad has to work until Christmas so he sends the kids and the new wife there first. The dad is written like a stereotypical horror movie character. He shows the wife a fun for seemingly no reason but to setup some later scene. The dad has written a book about death cults and the wife was the only survivor of the cult as a child.

 Once at the winter house with the kids, the feeling of isolation and seclusion increases. Riley the wife begins to have memories of her childhood and the cult. She sleepwalks and has hallucinations to the point that the audience doesn’t know what’s real and what isn’t. Riley gives a chilling performance that’s award worthy. There is a portrait of the Virgin Mary in the winter house that whenever it’s onscreen there’s a hallucination right after.

The two children have a good relationship. They actually get along and are close. Lia McHugh plays the younger sister and she is a good actress. Sometimes child actors are hit or miss but she is pretty good for her age. She has a doll that looks like the mom and it’s creepy also. This movie gets darker and it goes on and the end is very dark and I’m glad it went as dark as it did. I recommend this movie if you're looking for a good psychological thriller. 🍔🍔🍔🍔