Title: “The Lodge” (2008)

Starring Elizabeth Kell, Owen Szabo, Kevin McClatchy, and Mandi Kreisher

Produced by Brothers Shamus Pictures

Written by Deb Havener

Directed by Brad Helmink and John Raushelbach

Score: Technical: 99, Writing: 95, Acting: 90, Overall: 95%

I recently got a chance to get my hands on “The Lodge”, an okay little thriller, on DVD. I hadn’t heard of it before getting it, and wasn’t quite sure what to make of it but the muted sense of doom I got from the cover, which both impressed me by not being a rip-off of some other “classic” movie poster, but also pretty much spelled out the tone and a decent part of the plot of the movie; Cabins in the woods are not to be visited by young couples in love.

“The Lodge” tells the story of Michael (Owen Szabo) and Julia (Elizabeth Kell), ascending into the mountains for a weeklong romantic retreat at a luxurious mountain lodge. Almost immediately stuff gets suspicious as Henry, the caretaker of the property (Kevin McClatchy) turns up and begins helping the two settle in for the week. We’re clued in as viewers here, quite early on, that Henry isn’t quite what he seems. As the week progresses mysterious things begin to happen and Michael and Julia discover that not only is Henry a total freak, but that dark things are in store for the two of them at the lodge.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It’s well-shot, with no “brutal” heavy metal soundtrack, and decent suspenseful moments. This movie has all the elements of a really good thriller. I jumped a few times watching it and I’m sort of inured against most horror movie clichés. This definitely fell more into the thriller category and ddint’ rely on gallons of fake blood to try to get any cheap jumps.

It’s not without its faults unfortunately, with some cheesy and uneven acting on the parts of our hapless couple, for example. The fact that it’s a fairly unoriginal concept with only one real twist that got me didn’t help either, though then again in horror originality isn’t exactly a necessity for a good story.

There are a few special features, the fairly standard “behind the scenes” feature and a few deleted scenes that I can see why they hit the cutting room floor.

It’s not a fantastic movie, but definitely showcases some good talents in terms of cinematography and writing, so if you’re cruising the horror pay-per-view or the indie horror section of Blockbuster and this comes across your path, check it out, it just might surprise you.

By Costa Koutsoutis

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