Despite strong reviews, the deeply unsettling horror did not get a cinema release in Ireland.
Having already just added a hidden gem comedy series, Netflix has brought one of the scariest movies of recent years to its service.
Titled The Lodge, the film comes from the same directing duo behind the supremely creepy 2014 horror Goodnight Mommy and stars Riley Keough (Daisy Jones & the Six) as Grace, a woman with a very troubled past.
Newly engaged, she goes to stay with her fiancé, Richard (Richard Armitage), and his two children (Jaeden Martell and Lia McHugh) at their rural lodge over Christmas.
Soon into the trip, however, Richard is called back to the city for work - leaving Grace stuck with the pair of kids who are resentful of and act hostile toward their step-mother to be.
As tensions grow between the trio and a series of strange incidents lead to them becoming stranded at the lodge, Grace's sanity starts to unravel.
Riley Keough in The Lodge, a scary horror now streaming on Netflix
Despite strong reviews from critics following its 2019 premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival - the movie currently holds a 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes - The Lodge did not receive a cinema release in Ireland and the UK.
And this is a real shame as the film's dark and twisty story, chilling wintry atmosphere and tremendous lead turn from Keough - who manages to be both sympathetic and scary in equal measure - deserve to be seen by a wider audience.
Here is a sample of the positive reviews The Lodge received from critics:
Arizona Republic: "The Lodge is an exceptionally creepy horror film - and a really disturbing one."
Chicago Sun-Times: "Keough's work is so strong, so effective, that by the time we learn the ultimate fate of Grace, we would have bought into any of the possible options."
The Guardian: "A film that manages to burrow its way under your skin and stay there right through to the horrifying end."
Los Angeles Times: "The key to [Keough's] insidious and frightening performance is that by the end you're not sure whether to fear her or fear for her.
RogerEbert.com: "A truly unsettling movie, the kind of horror film that rattles you on an almost subconscious level."
SlashFilm: "An icy cold mix of The Shining and religious mania run wild, The Lodge opens with a bang, and never lets up... Scary as hell."
The Lodge is available to stream now on Netflix in Ireland and the UK. Check out its trailer right here:
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