The Lodge - Written by Freelance the Film Critic

The Lodge

Year: 2008
Director: John Rauschelbach & Brad Helmink
Stars: Owen Szabo, Elizabeth Kell, and Kevin McClatchy
MPAA Rating: R
Studio: Brothers Shamus Pictures
Running Time: 83 minutes
Rating: ** out of *****

It’s a crisp summer day as the couple, Michael (Owen Szabo) and Julia (Elizabeth Kell) head to their romantic getaway. Michael has made a special reservation for a beautifully spacious log cabin ranch home in a secluded woodland area. Arriving at the cabin they are introduced to Henry (Kevin McClatchy), the cabin home attendant. Henry is first suspiciously unsure about the couple and their arrangement, but quickly re-remembers that a couple were coming for the weekend. The two love birds settle in for the weekend. Cooking and cleaning, Henry is affectionately resourceful for the two. They wine and dine and fuck like two rabbits that are test subjects to some weird sex drug. The couple soon learn that their helpful attendant, Henry holds a much darker secret. The love retreat for Michael and Julia soon turns into an absolute deranged apprehension of gore, rape, and incest.

The Lodge is not too bad for a first attempt by directors Brad Helmink and John Rauschelbach. Though, the acting is somewhat atrocious and the script by Deb Havener is downright cliché. The few things that were enjoyable about the film were the light touches of camera work and area footage. The feeling of being suffocated is an enjoyable technique in horror films but, I feel it’s used a little too much. Creating suspense should not be limited.

The acting is exactly what I should expect from a film like this; not very good. Though, I really don’t think that’s such a bad thing all the time. I actually find myself enjoying horror films with less accredited actors, rather than seeing actors like Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones (i.e. 1999 - The Haunting remake) in horror films. Of the three people that carried this film, Elizabeth Kell was quite far the most enjoyable.

Nonetheless, folks today don’t watch horror films to understand visual concepts and follow meaningful developments. They watch ’em to be scared shitless. That is where I believe the film’s script drops the ball. A coherent foundation is set pretty well throughout the film. It’s just the film’s development and final conclusion is boring and more or less… “I saw it coming before I hit play on my DVD player”.

The Lodge isn’t a great film, but may be enjoyable for the easy to scare crowd. The film is more of something I would catch on the Sci-Fi channel on a really boring Tuesday afternoon. I would only recommend the film if you enjoy cheap horror thrills that you can find in your five dollar bin at your local Wal-Mart.