‘Caught me off guard completely. Horrible’
Terrified Netflix viewers have been warning others about one of the opening scenes of a horror film that recently arrived on the platform.
The Lodge, which was released back in 2019, arrived on Netflix on New Year’s Day. The film comes from Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, the same directing duo behind the supremely creepy 2014 horror Goodnight Mommy, and stars Riley Keough (Daisy Jones & the Six) as Grace, a woman with a very troubled past.
Newly engaged, Grace goes to stay with her fiancé, Richard (Richard Armitage), and his two children (Jaeden Martell and Lia McHugh) at their rural lodge over Christmas.
Soon into the trip, however, Richard is called back to the city for work – leaving Grace stuck with the pair of kids who are resentful of their step-mother to be, and act hostile towards her.
As tensions grow between the trio and a series of strange incidents lead to them becoming stranded at the lodge, Grace’s sanity starts to unravel.
The film was well-reviewed by critics and has been described as one of the scariest and most disturbing horrors of the last decade.
But some Netflix viewers have barely made it 10 minutes into the movie before having to turn off because of one of the opening scenes, and have taken to social media to warn others about it.
Early on in the movie, we see Richard’s former wife and the mother of his children, Laura (played by Alicia Silverstone), as she sits down to have a glass of red wine after learning that he is leaving her for Grace.
Without warning, Laura suddenly puts a gun in her mouth and kills herself, with the film then segueing into Richard’s new life with Grace.
The scene has understandably shocked viewers, who have shared their horror on social media.
One person wrote: “I screamed when she did that. I had a feeling it was coming, then she did. Caught me off guard completely. Horrible.”
Another said: “It caught me off guard. I had no idea there was even a gun. I thought she was just having a drink to help depression and then…”
A third said: “Started watching The Lodge on Netflix and omg I was not expecting that!”
Someone else described the film as “very creepy, disturbing and cool,” adding that they “screamed in the first 10 minutes.”
“Watching the Lodge expecting cool horror and I’m sobbing 10 minutes in,” another wrote.
After the film arrived on Netflix, one of the co-writers on the horror took to social media to warn viewers that it is “very dark.”
The Lodge is available to stream now on Netflix in the UK and Ireland.
If you’ve been affected by any of the themes in this article, you can get help and advice at the following places:
- Samaritans – 116 123
- Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – 0800 58 58 58, or use webchat
- Shout Crisis Text Line – Text “SHOUT” to 85258
- NHS – 111
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