Two months into 2020, horror fans have been given a mixed bag of movies, with films like The Grudge and Brahms: The Boy II earning atrocious reviews and box office performances, but one of the bright spots in the horror world has been The Lodge, which isn’t only a riveting exploration of paranoia and isolation, but is an entirely original idea. The film debuted at last year’s Sundance Film Festival and, after waiting more than a year, the film has begun to land in theaters across the country, with a new poster for the film hinting at the turmoil faced by its main character.
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The Lodge follows a family who retreat to their remote winter cabin over the holidays. When the father (Richard Armitage) is forced to abruptly depart for work, he leaves his children, Aidan (IT‘s Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh) in the care of his new girlfriend, Grace (Riley Keough). Isolated and alone, a blizzard traps them inside the lodge as terrifying events summon specters from Grace’s dark past.
Despite the disturbing subject matter of the film, McHugh confirmed that the experience of shooting the film was far more enjoyable, even if the production took place in a nearly abandoned location.
“We were always having fun on set. It was never really a lot of tension,” the actress shared with ComicBook.com. “Like me, personally, I was laughing in between takes. The whole crew and everyone there … we had such a great time with everyone. Even when we did leave the lodge, we were still stuck in the hotel that was literally like The Shining and it was completely empty. It was a golf resort and it was [the middle of winter] so nobody was there. They closed down the kitchen because there weren’t enough occupants in the hotel to serve. So they’d be bringing us re-heatable soup and lettuce and try to make us food. But we had a great time still.”
Given that the story unfolded in the middle of winter in a remote cabin, the environment and subject matter did present some challenges.
“Definitely being out in the elements was just difficult,” Martell detailed. “It was fun and, especially, I think, the emotional parts of being in the lodge and feeling such heavy material was tough, in a way. But it’s hard to tell without spoiling anything.”
The Lodge is in theaters now.
Will you be checking out the movie? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!