I’m not usually rattled by slow-burn thrillers, considering I’ve watched some of the most intense horror movies to ever exist. But “The Lodge” is a dark psychological thriller that genuinely surprised me and even remained in the corners of my mind for quite some time.
Released in theaters in 2020, “The Lodge” is the kind of movie that starts with an icy stillness and slowly builds into full-blown psychological chaos. There’s no gore overload or cheap jump scares here, which is refreshing for the genre. Instead, it offers a steady unraveling of reality that will leave you double-checking the locks and rethinking your weekend getaway plans.
If you haven’t seen it yet (or even if you have and want to experience it all over again), there’s great news: “The Lodge” landed on Tubi at the beginning of the month, and yes, that means it's streaming completely free. You’ll have to sit through a few ads, but honestly, they’re a welcome breather from the movie’s relentless tension.
Since it's streaming on one of the best free streaming services, you’ve got no excuse not to dive in. However, if you need more context, here’s why “The Lodge” is one of the most intense psychological thrillers of the past few years (and why it might just mess with your head in the best possible way).
What is ‘The Lodge’ about?
![The Lodge [Official Trailer] – In Theaters Fall 2019 - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/XYUI97qAa_k/maxresdefault.jpg)
“The Lodge” follows Grace (Riley Keough), a woman who joins her boyfriend Richard (Richard Armitage) and his two children, Aidan (Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh), on a holiday retreat to a remote, snow-covered cabin.
Still grieving the recent loss of their mother, the children are distant and cold toward Grace, who is trying to bond with them despite their discomfort. When Richard is called away for work, he leaves Grace alone with the children.
Soon after he departs, strange things begin to happen in the lodge. Their belongings disappear, the power goes out, and they become stranded with no means of communication or escape. As conditions worsen, tensions rise between Grace and the children.
Grace struggles to maintain control and clarity as the environment around her grows increasingly unsettling. The line between reality and delusion begins to blur, and fear sets in as it becomes unclear whether something supernatural is at play or if something far more human is behind what’s happening.
Why you should stream ‘The Lodge’ on Tubi now
It’s quite difficult for a movie to unsettle me since I’ve sat through all kinds of slashers and haunting stories without blinking. Usually, I can see the scares coming a mile away, and most psychological thrillers tend to play by familiar rules. But “The Lodge” managed to catch me off guard just by its creeping sense of dread alone.
The setup is simple enough: Grace heads to a remote snow-covered cabin with her boyfriend’s two kids. He leaves them alone there for a few days (which already feels like a questionable parenting choice), and what follows is an increasingly bizarre and claustrophobic descent into something much darker than I expected.
Grace’s past is revealed fairly early on, but to keep things mysterious and preserve the viewing experience, I won’t spoil the details. What this backstory does is make her character far more harrowing and adds layers of ambiguity, meaning she’s not a straightforward protagonist, and there’s no clear “side.”
I won’t get into any juicy plot points, because “The Lodge” is definitely best experienced blind. But what I can say is that it plays with perception in a really unsettling way.
The power cuts out, their belongings go missing, and soon nobody (including the viewer) can fully trust what’s real. It’s a movie that thrives on silence and isolation, and it slowly builds this atmosphere of unease that’s way more effective than any loud noise could be.
This thriller wouldn’t be nearly as impactful without Riley Keough, who does a fantastic job of playing a woman clearly holding on by a thread. You’ll be surprised how much you empathize with Grace, who becomes heartbreakingly vulnerable the more weird things keep happening, until the point she’s having disturbing visions and being tormented by her dreams.
Co-directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala clearly know how to craft a visually stunning thriller, and in this case, “The Lodge” fits the cold and minimal vibe through the claustrophobic cabin alone. This duo previously collaborated on the critically acclaimed 2014 movie “Goodnight Mommy,” which also focuses on the characters’ deteriorating mental states.
“The Lodge” is not a fun movie, and it’s definitely not an easy watch, but it’s gripping in the way only the best psychological thrillers can be. You don’t need to take my word for it either, since it holds a solid score of 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site’s critics consensus reading: “Led by an impressive Riley Keough performance, The Lodge should prove a suitably unsettling destination for fans of darkly atmospheric horror.”
However, audiences did rate it at a low 51%, mainly due to its slower pacing and Grace’s convoluted backstory. But for anyone seeking a slow-burn thriller that still manages to keep you guessing, “The Lodge” is well worth your time. Just make sure to wrap up warm because this snow-focused experience is very chilling.
You can stream “The Lodge” for free on Tubi now. If you’re not feeling it, see what else is new on Tubi in June 2025.
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