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Parents' Guide to

The Lodge

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Clever, ice-cold, chilling horror movie with kids in peril.

Movie R 2020 108 minutes
The Lodge Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 4 parent reviews

imak47
imak47 Adult
August 3, 2020
age 13+

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
Nicole D.
Nicole D. Adult
July 20, 2020
age 13+

good but confusing

if you like spooky or dark type movies this can be one to consider. idk if it was just me but i did find the plot kind of confusing. not the best thriller but not the worst one either. parents / guardians beware there are scenes involving suicide, dead bodies , showing a woman’s bare breasts and plot is based around some religious topics

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE LODGE, journalist Richard (Richard Armitage) announces to his estranged wife, Laura (Alicia Silverstone), that he'd like to finalize their divorce because he wants to marry his new girlfriend, Grace (Riley Keough). Shocked, Laura kills herself, leaving Richard with their two children -- older son Aidan (Jaeden Martell) and younger daughter Mia (Lia McHugh). Richard decides to let the kids get to know their future stepmom by setting them up in a remote winter lodge over a few days before Christmas, while Richard finishes up work in the city. There the kids discover Grace's strange and sinister past. And then all three wake up to find the Christmas decorations gone, the generator broken, and their food and clothing missing. Worse, Grace's medication has vanished. Can they survive this ordeal, or will the darkness overtake them?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (7 ):

Its silly setup aside, this ice-cold chiller has a confident command of every frame, using its creeping-dread rhythm and unsettling sound design to unfold a wry, brutal story in the cleverest way. Coming from Austrian filmmaking team Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, whose Goodnight Mommy (2014) had a similar horror dynamic (two unreliable kids in a house with an unsound adult), The Lodge is a very promising English-language debut. Though it's difficult to forgive Richard for thinking it's a good idea to send his kids and his girlfriend to a remote, frozen lodge where anything could go wrong, it's easy to forgive the filmmakers because of where they go from there.

Fiala and Franz cook up a scenario that could, truthfully, go any which way, and they effectively balance their slow suspense with startling shocks. Even after a major clue drops, they keep their juggling act going until the horrifying final shot. Running through The Lodge is an undercurrent of commentary on religious hypocrisy and persecution, mainly connected to Grace's backstory. But the filmmakers keep their focus mainly on the story, the characters, and the movie's desperate mood. The child actors' performances are good, but it's Keough who really impresses: She keeps things constantly off-balance with her genuine, uncertain sense of torment and terror.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Lodge's violence. How much is shown/not shown? How did it affect you? How did the use of a gun change things?

  • Is the movie scary? What do you think makes people want to go to the movies to be scared?

  • Is drinking glamorized? Do the characters here drink socially, or do they seem to drink for other reasons?

  • To what degree are the children in danger in this story? Do they make it out OK at the end? Are they innocent?

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