Creepy 2020 psychological horror film The Lodge sports an ending likely to knock many viewers to the ground, and here's what it all really means. Most horror fans can dig a good, fun fright flick every now and then, complete with jump scares, loud sounds, and comic relief. There's nothing wrong with that style, but sometimes what a particular fan wants to see is much darker, creepier, and emotionally upsetting. That might seem strange, and maybe it is, but that doesn't mean it's not true.
For that kind of horror fan, something like The Lodge, directed by the duo of Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, is exactly what they crave. The Lodge is unrelentingly downbeat and bleak, spends lots of time dealing with the real life monster that is grief, and never misses a chance to twist the knife just a bit deeper into both the characters and the audience. It's an exercise in tension and (sometimes) confusion, but for those who dig horror that messes with the mind, that's exactly what the film should be doing.
The Lodge at times appears to be going one way with its story, only to throw a surprise into the mix. This includes the film's ending scenes. Here's a rundown of what really happened to Grace (Riley Keough), and what was simply mental trickery.
The Lodge Ending Explained: What Really Happened to Grace
Partway into The Lodge, Grace, and her soon to be step-children Aidan and Mia, fall asleep in the living room. The next morning, all their belongings are gone, and so is the food supply. The generator powering their phones has also died, and Grace's dog has disappeared. All appear mystified, until Aidan presents the theory that they all died the night before thanks to a malfunctioning gas heater in the room while they slept. Aidan and Mia are eventually able to convince Grace they've all died, and are trapped in purgatory. Grace snaps, and now believes they must all repent in some way to make it to heaven.
Of course, none of that is real. Aidan and Mia orchestrated the entire thing, drugging Grace on that fateful night, and hiding everything in a hidden basement compartment. When Grace finds her dead dog frozen to death in the snow, the kids finally come clean and admit their gaslighting plot against her. They both blame her for their mom's suicide at the beginning of the film, after their dad left their mom for Grace. Once they learn of her childhood spent in a religious suicide cult, it gives them the inspiration they need to torture her, seemingly hoping that she would breakdown, and their dad wouldn't want her anymore.
Said dad eventually arrives, but Grace has lost it, and shoots him, thinking he won't be hurt since they're all dead. He's killed by the shot, and the film ends with Grace having tied up the children in the manner of those sacrificed in her former cult, with signs pointing to her shooting them and then herself. One aspect that's left unclear though is whether Grace realizes they're not in purgatory after killing her lover, but is so mad and distraught that she makes the conscious decision to kill the rest of them anyway. Either way, it's arguable that there's never been more deserving child victims in a horror film than Aidan and Mia.