The Lodge

In this episode of 'Ruined with Alison Leiby and Halle Kiefer,' the hosts dive into the chilling 2019 horror film *The Lodge*, a psychological thriller centered on a newly blended family trapped in a remote cabin during a brutal winter storm. The film opens with the sudden suicide of Laura, the children’s mother, setting off a chain of psychological unraveling. Her husband, Richard, brings his new girlfriend Grace—whose past as the sole survivor of a doomsday cult is revealed through his book—to spend Christmas with the kids. As the power fails and isolation deepens, the family descends into a nightmarish reality where reality blurs: the kids secretly prank Grace by hiding her medication, manipulating the environment, and staging supernatural-like events. The hosts dissect the film’s terrifying atmosphere, its unreliable narration, and the devastating consequences of trauma, guilt, and religious extremism. Ultimately, the twist reveals the children orchestrated the entire ordeal as a twisted game, pushing Grace to a psychotic break. The episode ends with a haunting final scene where Grace, now fully unhinged, kills Richard and prepares to kill the children—leaving their fate ambiguous. The hosts reflect on the film’s emotional weight, its commentary on grief and mental health, and its masterful use of dread over jump scares.