The Lodge

Laura Hall (Alicia Silverstone), having endured the crushing blow of her husband Richard's (Richard Armitage) decision to marry Grace Marshall (Riley Keough), takes her own life. The news sends shockwaves through their family, particularly their children, Aidan (Jaeden Lieberher) and Mia (Lia McHugh), who are still reeling from the emotional aftermath.

Six months later, Richard reveals his plans to spend Christmas with Grace at their remote lodge in rural western Massachusetts, hoping for a chance to introduce her to his children. Unbeknownst to Laura's memory, Aidan and Mia hack into their father's computer to uncover secrets about their new stepmother, including disturbing footage of a fundamentalist Christian cult's mass suicide, led by Aaron Marshall, Grace's father.

As the four arrive at the lodge, tensions simmer beneath the surface as the children openly resist bonding with Grace. The air is thick with hostility, which only intensifies when Richard departs for work, leaving his children to continue their cold treatment of her. Nightmares begin to plague Grace, fueled by the abundance of Catholic iconography in the cabin and harrowing memories of her father's cult.

However, cracks begin to form in the wall of resistance as Aidan starts to show signs of softening towards Grace. One evening, he surprises her with a cup of cocoa while they watch movies together. Mia too seems to be warming up to their new stepmother, but it is short-lived, as the morning brings chaos and confusion.

Upon waking, Grace finds that all her belongings, including clothing, medication, and her beloved pet dog, have vanished along with the food and Christmas decorations she had set up. The cabin's generator has failed, leaving their cell phones dead. As she searches for answers, she discovers that the clocks in the house have mysteriously advanced to January 9th.

A tearful Aidan confides in Grace about a recurring nightmare where the gas heater in the living room malfunctions, killing them all. His words are laced with fear and uncertainty, leaving both of them wondering if they might be trapped in some kind of purgatory.

As the days blend together in a haze of desperation and despair, Grace (played by) finds herself succumbing to the crushing weight of her own anxiety, medication withdrawal, and physical exhaustion. Her body begins to betray her, as sleepwalking becomes a recurring nightmare, accompanied by vivid visions and disturbing dreams that leave her tormented and helpless. The haunting specter of her father's voice, once a source of comfort and guidance, now taunts her with sermons that echo through her mind like a relentless mantra.

In a desperate bid to escape the suffocating grip of reality, Grace sets out on a journey that ultimately circles back to the lodge, where she's forced to confront the stark realities of her situation. A chance discovery in the snow yields a heart-wrenching revelation: a memorial frame containing a photograph of Aidan and Mia, along with a newspaper article detailing their tragic demise. As she grapples with the cruel fate that has befallen them, Grace is plunged into a state of utter despair.

The weight of her grief proves too much to bear, as she's wracked by a nervous breakdown that ultimately leaves her catatonic and exposed on the porch. It's only when the children finally confess their duplicitous intentions - having drugged her, hidden their possessions in a crawlspace, and manipulated her with recordings of her father's sermons - that Grace realizes the true extent of their deception. Her world is turned upside down as she struggles to comprehend the enormity of their betrayal.

As the night wears on, Grace's descent into madness accelerates, fueled by a burning sense of righteous fury. She finds herself self-flagellating by the hearth, her body scorched and scarred from the flames. The children, trapped in the attic, are powerless to intervene as Grace's behavior becomes increasingly erratic and disturbing.

The next morning, Richard returns to find an inconsolable Grace clutching his pistol, convinced that they must make a sacrifice to atone for their supposed transgressions. In a tragic misunderstanding, she fires the gun, taking her father's life. Aidan and Mia attempt to flee in the car, but become stuck in the snow. As Grace forces them back into the lodge, she seats them at the dinner table alongside her father's corpse, and begins to sing "Nearer, My God, to Thee" with a haunting, otherworldly conviction.

The children, their faces obscured by duct tape reading "sin," sit silently as Grace contemplates the pistol, her eyes blazing with an unholy intensity. It's as if she's lost all sense of reality, consumed by a madness that will stop at nothing to exact its twisted revenge on those around her.