If ARI ASTER Directed A Remake Of ‘The Shining’

My final trip to the theater was a double feature that included a lot of soda, a giant pretzel, and a movie experience that absolutely wowed me. The power was out at my house, due to a tornado that devastated the city of Nashville, my wife was out of town and I had just finished a long work week which left me looking to escape into the comfort of the cinema. I wasn’t sure what to expect from THE LODGE, but when I saw “HAMMER FILMS” appear in the opening credits, I was intrigued. I’m going to stray away from giving you too many details about the plot because I want you to experience it in the way that I did. Thank me later.

We are in an exciting age of horror as production studios like A24, Hammer Films and Blumhouse are getting behind the visions of young directors and bringing these ambitious stories to a larger audience.  The bar for horror has truly been raised over the last decade and the genre is ascending beyond the stereotype of mundane slashers and B movies.       

The Lodge was written and directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala who are the same Austrian duo who crafted the skin-crawling and creepy, Goodnight Mommy.  If I ruled the film industry, I would give them whatever it takes to keep making these films.  Both stories are powerful, exciting, and full of emotional discomfort that elevates them beyond most psychological horror.  The Lodge is the scariest movie to hit the theaters in 2020 so far and I believe it will stay that way unless AMC opens up a drive-through near me and Ari Aster has something up his sleeve that I don’t know about.  Maybe at the end of the year, I will ship a homemade trophy to Austria. 

Despite my high praise, I have heard the critique of moviegoers who think that some of the characters should have been more developed.  I believe this lack of development was intentional in the same way that we don’t get a backstory on the serial killing insurance agent in the 1987 classic, The Stepfather.  The Nightmare on Elm street series also creates an amazing disconnect and distance between adults and children which consequently made the franchise extremely appealing to my generation.  This is also a huge part of what made IT FOLLOWS stand out.     

The Lodge is not a feel-good movie with perfect resolve, comedic moments, or heartwarming attributes.  It’s not easily defined by subgenre and even leaves your head spinning on identifying a protagonist.  It plays out like a refined Giallo made for an American audience.  I would recommend watching this film without distractions like cell phones or kegs of beer.   Watch it in the dark with the volume up and enjoy.

(You can stream The Lodge on Hulu.)

About Nathan Conrad:

He’s best known as the Nashville based Hip Hop/Indie Pop emcee Spoken Nerd, but this isn’t your typical rap project. He rhymes playfully at times, while sometimes playfully singing and/or rapping, he juxtaposes his style with real-life situations and subject matter. With six full-length albums into his career, the rapper has built a healthy catalog of music, which doesn’t include the number of EPs and singles released.