The audience of Netflix was scared and thrilled by a horror film on the platform. The Lodge, theatrically released in 2019 and directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, has been called one of the darkest movies in the history of cinema by the frightening amount of viewers, who also adviced other viewers to gear their brains before watching it.
A Horror in Slow Motion
While Riley Keough, Richard Armitage, and Alicia Silverstone were playing the main characters, The Lodge depicted the story of Grace (Keough), who was snowed in with her boyfriend’s two children in a mountain hut during a winter storm. The situation has quickly evolved from a routine family vacation into a psychologically horrifying experience that was a mix of religious trauma, loneliness, and sheer fear of the unknown.
Where the usual horror flick is based on jump-scares, here, The Lodge, as a matter of fact, takes on the slow-burning kind of terror, the kind that remains under the skin through atmospheric tension, disturbing images, and the creeping feeling that not only stays until the conclusion of the movie but could actually prove to be forever.
Comments of Viewers: ‘Nasty & Unsettling’
Upon its release on the Netflix platform, the film got a lot of feedback from the fans on social media. Most of them labeled the feature as “extremely disturbing,” while some went as far as calling it “the darkest horror movie ever made.”
A Twitter user, who saw the film, said, “Just watched ‘The Lodge’ on Netflix and holy hell… that was one of the most unsettling films I’ve ever seen. I feel like I need to watch cartoons for a week to recover.”
Another person shared his thoughts on the movie, “If you’re looking for a horror movie that will genuinely mess you up, ‘The Lodge’ is it. Psychological horror at its most brutal.”
What Makes It So Upsetting?
Both the film’s mood and what goes on in the main characters’ minds through the whole story are the sources of its strength. Indeed, the several issues such as sorrow, deceit, and religious extremism come along together so closely, that they establish a feeling of hopelessness that is quite stifling. The use of a camera to shoot the film—rock-hard, bleak, and giving the feeling of being trapped—better illustrates the eerie nature of the movie.
Notwithstanding the initial response by critics being divided, The Lodge has become the favorite film of the fans of the horror genre who love the slow-build tension and unexpected ending.
Is It Worth Your Time to See It?
If you are a fan of horror films and you derive your satisfaction from the deeply psychological and atmospheric terror, then the movie is simply a must. Nevertheless, if you find horror films with action a more comfortable environment or you are the type of viewer who doesn’t like to think about deep issues, then this movie is not for you.
