The Most Disturbing Thriller of the Past Decade is Free to Watch and it’s “Exquisitely beautiful”
I love a feel-bad thriller. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean gratuitous, exploitative, or just nasty (even if I’d defend them to my dying breath), but the kinds of thrillers and horror movies whose quiet, unassuming nature sneaks in and doesn’t just rattle your soul, but shakes it. This year’s Bring Her Back is one such example. Remove the terrifying body horror, and you’d still have one of the most spirit-draining horror releases in years. I left feeling terrible, and I loved Bring Her Back’s capacity to make me feel that way.
Every year, the horror genre has one. Speak No Evil (the original, though arguably the remake as well), Red Rooms, Longlegs, Huesera: The Bone Woman, the list goes on and on. Way back in 2019, the most disturbing movie of that respective year—and honestly, probably the decade—quietly arrived in theaters. Boasting a fantastic cast and notable filmmakers, everyone expected something good, though I’m certain no one expected something quite so troubling. Learn more about Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s The Lodge, now streaming free on Tubi, below:
Per Tubi: A soon-to-be stepmom finds herself snowed in with her fiancé’s two children at a remote holiday village, where strange and frightening events occur.
The Lodge opens like an Ari Aster film and never takes its foot off the grind-your-soul-into-pieces pedal for even a moment. Riley Keough is astounding, and the young performers are distressingly, frighteningly convincing. I don’t want to spoil what goes on, but there’s talk of cults, isolation, loose minds, and even looser grips on reality. It’s a locked room showcase, and undoubtedly one of the best horror thrillers released in the 2010s.
And in terms of The Lodge being a disturbing, feel-bad horror movie? Check out this choice selection from our own 4-star review back in 2019: “The Lodge is a slow-burn film. Even the climax is rather quiet and controlled. This isn’t a ‘jump scares’ film. It is bleak as f***. The icy environs the eponymous lodge is in certainly don’t help (though it is exquisitely beautiful), but the story itself is bleak. Although there are no definite answers, no ending could possibly be a happy one.” Yeah, so The Lodge won’t make you feel great, but it’s absolutely worth a watch. Just try to get some sunshine afterwards, maybe hug someone close to you.
What do you think? Any plans to check out The Lodge on Tubi? If you do, let me know what you think over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
Categorized: News
