Netflix has just dropped one of the ‘scariest films’ of the decade

If you’re a fan of a fright night, look no further than Netflix’s latest terrifying release.

A must for those looking to kickstart their new year with a jump (or three), The Lodge has arrived to quench your thirst where jumps are concerned.

Starring Riley Keough, Jaeden Martell and Alicia Silverstone, this decidedly dark release first hit screens back in 2019.

Now resurfacing on Netflix after a period of dormancy, the release has been labeled one of the “scariest films” of the past decade by critics.

Described by one critic as an “oppressive thriller”, the project was written and directed by Veronika Franz.

Taking the helm, Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, has been widely praised for her performance, leading the cast through twists and turns as this “fearful” film unfolds.

Reviews also regularly include the use of the words “terrifying”, “creepy” and are topped off with a liberal serving of “supernatural frights“.

The premise, if you were wondering (we know you are), sees Keough star as Grace Marshall - a leading role that sees her engaged to a man whom she met during her research for a book on extremist cults.

A suitably wintry watch, Keough’s character finds herself snowed in with her fiance's two children.

>

However, it’s not long before mysterious and unexplainable supernatural events begin to unfold.

With one social media user labeling the series “messed up”, another took to X (formerly Twitter) to admit The Lodge had left them “speechless” by the movie, as another called it “super wild”.

The Guardian’s Jonathan Lee writes: “Stripping away the genre-ness of it all, the knotty scenario at the centre of The Lodge, that of a woman trying to bond with the children of her new boyfriend, is rich with uneasy dramatic tension all by itself.

Describing the film as “not entirely unpredictable”, he adds The Lodge is an “accomplished beast: poking, prodding and teasing as it throws out potential twists before settling on the most devastating one of all.”

Meanwhile, K Austin Collins writes in Vanity Fair: "The Lodge, to its credit, knows that this tension is valuable. It knows all the moves. It nevertheless falls far short of living up to them."

One horror fan took to social media to describe the release as a film that “messed with my head”.

While another online reviewer added the film was a “truly unsettling movie” – adding it’s “the kind of horror film that rattles you on an almost subconscious level."

Currently holding a score of 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie failed to ever reach UK cinemas – which makes now the perfect time to catch it.

But despite the limited release, the movie has managed to rake in an estimated £2.5 million globally.

Currently only available to viewers in the UK via Netflix, viewers on the other side of the pond can instead catch the release on both Hulu and Amazon Prime.

• Now discover the best the best Netflix movies of 2023