The Lodgers—An Eerie Dive into Family Curses and Gothic Mystery

Ah, “The Lodgers.” You know when you watch a movie, and you feel like you’ve been dunked in a cold, misty forest? That’s where I was with this one. It’s directed by Brian O’Malley, a name that might ring some bells if you’ve seen his other work, but it’s truly the haunting setting in rural Ireland that steals the show here.

The film’s got vibes, man. It follows Rachel and Edward, twins caught in a weird family curse—one that kept me guessing as much as wondering why the heck you’d stay in a house that creeks so loud it could wake the dead (literally, I think). I mean, Charlotte Vega and Bill Milner really sell the eerie, trapped twin act. To be honest, there was a moment or two when I was like, “come on, do something else!” But maybe that’s just my impatience talking.

A little detour here—when I was much younger, taking a stroll through Skogskyrkogården with some friends at midnight (don’t ask), we would dare each other to peek into the shadows. That same chill tickled my spine watching this film. Maybe it’s the sense of being watched by something… older than time.

David Turpin’s script, I thought, was atmospheric yet left me pondering the rules of this cursed game the twins are bound by. It’s ambiguous, to say the least. Like my vote is still out on whether that ambiguity was genius or just puzzling. Maybe you’ve had those family dinners where half of you is like, “this is awkward,” but also, “I can’t look away”? Yep, that’s “The Lodgers” for you.

In the end, it’s a bit like gravad lax. Might not be for everyone, but if you dig the melancholy of distant echoes and twinges of the supernatural, give it a go. Or not—I’m not your mom.

Check the trailer below