Warning: Spoilers forThe Lodge.
Written by Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala, and Sergio Casci and directed by Franz and Fiala,The Lodgeis a psychological horror film that is unsettling from the moment it begins. The film follows a soon-to-be stepmom, Grace (Riley Keough), as she, her fiancé Richard (Richard Armitage), and his two children, Aiden (Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh), travel to the family’s remote Massachusetts lodge for the Christmas holiday. However, their situation is wrought with plenty of underlying issues no one is properly addressing.
Six months prior, Richard’s estranged wife, Laura (Alicia Silverstone), took her own life after he informed her that he wanted to finalize their divorce so he and Grace could marry. Clearly a case of infidelity, Richard and Grace met while he was conducting research for his book about theextremist cult Grace’s father ledwhen she was a child. The only survivor of the cult’s mass suicide, Grace continues to struggle with psychological scars and even takes medication to help quell her nightmares.
In an effort to foster a relationship with Aiden and Mia, Grace suggests the holiday getaway, which will give her time alone with the kids, since Richard plans to spend the first part away from the lodge due to work. However, the kids are not keen on the idea of spending any time with the person they blame for their mother’s death. Upon arriving at the snow-ridden home, everything seems normal despite the clear tension.
Unfortunately, it turns sour when Grace wakes up one morning to find there’s no power in the house. Not only is the power out, but the generator won’t work, all the food in the fridge is gone, and everyone’s belongings have suddenly disappeared, including the medication Grace has been hiding from everyone. Now stranded without a vehicle and dead cell phones, the situation only grows more dire asGrace’s strange and frighteningpast begins to haunt them all, or so it would seem.
Are Grace, Aiden, and Mia Trapped in Purgatory?
The longer Grace is left at the secluded lodge with Aiden and Mia, the more it becomes clear that her horrific past still has a tight grasp on her. However, when the power goes out, everything really begins to fall apart and the psychological effects of Grace’s childhood become everyone’s problem. Without her medication, the ghosts of her past find their way inside her head, which Aiden and Mia never anticipated. As it turns out, there was nothing wrong with the power. Rather,as a way to torture Grace for her misdeeds against their mother, the children made it appear as though they had all died and were now in purgatory.
It was Aiden and Mia who removed everything from the lodge, staged an obituary and memoriam photo, messed with the date on the clock, and rigged Aiden into the rafters so it would appear that he hung himself without dying. Unfortunately,by the time Aiden and Mia realize they’ve taken the prank too far, it’s too late and Grace’s mind is gone. Having mimicked the chants of her former cult, Aiden and Mia push Grace to the edge. When they attempt to convince her otherwise, she doesn’t believe them.
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Does Richard Save His Children from Grace?
After not hearing from Grace, Aiden, or Mia, it’s clear to Richard that something has happened, so he promptly returns to the lodge. However, when he arrives, the first thing he sees is Grace’s dead dog, which should have served as an ominous warning. When he ascends the stairs, he finds Grace with a gun in her hand as Aiden and Mia remain terrified and trapped behind her.Fully believing they are in purgatory,Grace thinks she and Richard are being punished for what happened to Laura and the only way out is to repent. to prove to Richard that they’re already dead, she puts the gun to her head and pulls the trigger. When it doesn’t fire, Grace’s crazy notion is only solidified.
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When Richard approaches her, she points the gun at his head and kills him. Aiden and Mia cry out for their dad, but realize they need to flee. However, when they try to escape in their dad’s vehicle, it remains stuck in the snow, so they’re unable to get away from Grace. With Grace’s mind completely gone, she props up Richard’s dead body at the dining room table and forces Aiden and Mia to sit beside him. She then begins to sing the same religious song her cult sang when she was young, and by the end of it, Aiden and Mia reluctantly join in, singing through their tears.
Grace then covers their mouths, and hers, with tape with the word “sin” written on it,just like her cult didwhen they committed suicide. With the gun on the table, it’s obvious there are at least two bullets left.The film cuts to black before viewers find out what happens to Aiden and Mia, but the tone of the scene clearly indicates they all inevitably die.
