Over the last year, horror movie fans have gotten some big name releases from Stephen King’s IT to Winchester starring Helen Mirren. For this horror nerd, nothing has really wowed me since Get Out (and that wasn’t even really a horror film in my opinion). It would seem that big commercial companies lack creativity and ingenuity when it comes to writing horror stories as of late.

This past week, Buffalo, NY premiered an indie horror film that might have managed to break the losing streak for me. The Lodgers premiered at Buffalo’s family-run movie theater, The Screening Room, and while it may not have made them boatloads of cash (there were 13 people present), it did try to tell a unique story that was, indeed, haunting.

The Lodgers tells the story of Edward and Rachel, twins, who live in an enormous house in Ireland. They must live by three simple rules–be in their rooms by midnight, never let a stranger into the house, and never leave each other alone–in order to keep the ghostly beings (the Lodgers) away. It seems innocent enough but there seems to be a much bigger problem, a hint of a family curse (something that viewers can probably figure out fairly quickly). Of course, Rachel happens to meet a young man in the village and falls in love. This makes things a bit more difficult for her and Edward and their haunted house as she tries to find a way to escape her family’s curse.

The Cast & Characters

This film was made and produced in Ireland and because of that, American viewers may not recognize too many faces. Aside from Moe Dunford from Vikings, Eugene Simon from Game of Thrones, and David Bradley from Harry Potter, all of the cast was new to me. Eugene Simon played the role of Sean, Rachel’s love interest and a World War I vet. He seemed to be one of those characters that could have really been something and instead just fell flat. There could have been so much more with him being seen as a traitor in the town for leaving to fight, but nothing ever really happened with that. Many times, he had a deadpan look in his eyes and I found that I didn’t really feel anything for him throughout the film. All of the other characters served no purpose other than to remind Rachel and Edward that they were outsiders… or, you know, to die.

The success of the film’s story lies solely on Charlotte Vega and Bill Milner, Rachel and Edward. They understood their characters were two sides of a single coin. Rachel is the eldest of the two, headstrong and clearly the leader. She’s afraid of the Lodgers but she does not allow them to rule her life. Vega manages to play the strong willed young woman without coming off as “bitchy.” She stands up for herself to her brother, the villagers, and even the Lodgers. She gives a powerful performance that borders between desperate to escape and yet also hopeful that it just might happen. The polar opposite of Rachel’s hopefulness and determination is Edward’s complete fear and obedience to the ghosts in the house. He lashes out at Rachel as she begins to break the rules, he becomes possessed by the Lodgers while alone in the house, and is so unhinged, it makes the audience fear for Rachel. Milner’s performance is mind boggling. He can go from a forlorn, frightened child to a raving madman in the matter of a second. It’s his unpredictable nature that really has viewers on the edge of their seat.

The Story

I’m a sucker for horror movies that take place in the past–sure, The Exorcist and Nightmare on Elm Street are scary but if stuff like that happens today, why can’t it happen in the past? And better yet, without cell phones (or any phones for that matter) and flashlights? The Lodgers is exactly what I love in period horror films, like The Woman in Black and Crimson Peak: it realizes it’s a story from the past and uses that to its advantage, using a terrifying location, dimly lit rooms filled with shadows, and an overwhelming sense of isolation to add to the creep factor.

But unfortunately, the actual plot of The Lodgers was not as strong as it could have been. Especially when you compare the plot to the film’s imagery, setting, and stars it turns out the plot is the weakest piece of the puzzle. It was trying to tell an original, creative story but seemed to mimic other horror movie tropes that have already been done (and done better). We have reclusive siblings (just like The Others), a house that is haunted by those who have died there and making the current inhabitants crazy (like The Amityville Horror), a young woman who decides to venture outside the safety of her home despite being told not to (like The Village), an unnerving bathroom scene (like Psycho), hints of incest and domestic violence (like Crimson Peak), creepy dead people, dripping wet and crawling up the stairs (like The Ring and The Grudge), and a hero going into another realm to try to bring someone he loves back home (like Insidious). It would be one thing if The Lodgers was trying to pay homage to horror movies that have come before it, but I don’t think that was what it was trying to do.

STREAM: Amazon has loads of Gothic Horror films available. Many are free with Prime

However, one thing I did appreciate was the ending. No horror movie should ever have a happy ending (seriously, The Poltergeist makes me so angry because not even the forces of evil can beat the American nuclear family!). You want the endings like Friday the 13th, Halloween, Night of the Living Dead with that one final twist or scare. I don’t want everyone to survive a horror movie and live happily ever after (if I wanted that, I’d watch a Disney movie). That was something I liked about this film–not everyone made it out alive, making it seem like an actual horror film where no one is really safe.

The Scares

I don’t know if I would call this a horror movie but rather a suspenseful ghost story. This film was not scary by any means, however, it had terrifying visuals. Sometimes you’d spot twisted shadows in a doorway or a pale face hidden behind a pillar. Rachel and Edward know the house they live in is haunted and so does the audience, which makes an interesting relationship as everyone is looking to see ghosts in the house.

Speaking of the house, this place stole the show, in my opinion. For horror movies to be successful, you have to have the right setting and this movie was filmed at one of the creepiest settings out there: Loftus Hall. Built in 1351, it is considered to be Ireland’s most haunted house. The most famous story comes from 1666 where a young man was welcomed into the house before becoming very close with the owner’s daughter. While playing a game of cards, the daughter bent down to pick a card up from the floor to see the young man had cloven feet (ie: he’s the devil). The young man then supposedly disappeared through the ceiling and the daughter went crazy. It is said that the devil still haunts the house along with the ghost of the young woman. As if that story isn’t spooky enough, while The Lodgers was being filmed at Loftus Hall, the hall celebrated its 666th birthday. The house is creepy and it is a huge player in the story of The Lodgers–it’s a character all its own. I found myself at ease when Rachel was in the town, knowing that nothing bad could happen, but the moment she returned home, I was holding my breath, waiting to see what was going to happen next.

If you’re in the mood for a Gothic horror film and want to support the little guy in the horror movie industry, check out the trailer below:

FINAL SCORE

6.5/10

The novelty of the original story wore off fairly quickly with confusing twists in the story and meaningless characters. Visually, it was a beautiful film with the perfect setting of Loftus Hall. It was a haunting story with decent acting from the two main characters but it could have been much better with a bigger budget, better acting, and more creativity. For fans of Gothic horror, it’s a must see and those who consider themselves “wusses” should still give it a try–it lacks jump scares and relies on frightening imagery more than anything else.

+Loftus Hall being the prime location.

+Solid acting from Charlotte Vega and Bill Milner.

+Frightening imagery and suspenseful moments made it a clever scary movie.

+An attempt at a somewhat original story.

-The original story was not as well thought out as it could have been.

-Acting was less than stellar from the majority of the cast.

-Jumping from one plot point to another made it confusing at times.

-Sean and Rachel’s romance seemed rushed and not genuine.

-Irish accents made it very difficult to understand characters at times (but my fault, not theirs).

Amanda Woomer-Limpert is a writer and editor for The Geekiverse. She is a horror movie fanatic and is looking forward to seeing A Quiet Place, Hereditary, The First Purge (filmed in Buffalo, NY!), Slender Man, The Nun, and Halloween this year.

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