The Lodge

It may not be one of the most original horror movies around but it is certainly one of the scariest.

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There have been more original plots - a young couple go to a remote lodge for a romantic weekend getaway, only to find it a more violent and horrifying affair than they had signed up for - but the directors Brad Helmink and John Rauschelbach's 2008 straight-to-DVD horror film The Lodge succeeds where many others of its genre fail. It is genuinely frightening, with more emphasis on scaring the viewer than simply grossing him or her out. Flashing images of a young woman tied to a bed, another to a chair, give glimpses of the couple's grim experience, but not all the movie is about gore. The directors build tension, quickly establishing the downright creepiness of the lodge owner and the labyrinthine property, as well as the young couple's vulnerability, despite the woman's strong suspicion that all is not well. For believability's sake, the lodge owner's accomplice (ostensibly his daughter, though this is rather unclear) could have looked less undead, given that this isn't a zombie movie. With matted hair, blue-tinged skin and a collection of off-putting scars around her neck, she leaves the viewer wondering what, exactly, her deal is. What appears about to be a happy, or at least triumphant ending - the couple driving quickly away - is shattered when the undead-looking girl pops her head up in the back seat. If she gets away with murder this time, there could be a sequel-