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** The EnfantTerrible. [[spoiler:Neither Mia or Aiden are fully good or evil; Aiden is the coldest and morally darkest, but he's mourning his mother and is deeply protective of Mia, even when it puts him in mortal danger.
** The WickedStepmother. Grace tries to be a GoodStepmother, but she isn't this either, because she has been pushed into a situation she doesn't understand and isn't equipped to handle, then has a psychotic break and kills them all.]]
** The WickedStepmother. Grace tries to be a GoodStepmother, but she isn't this either, because she has been pushed into a situation she doesn't understand and isn't equipped to handle, then has a psychotic break and kills them all.]]
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** The EnfantTerrible. [[spoiler:Neither Mia or Aiden are fully good or evil; Aiden is the coldest and morally darkest, but he's mourning his mother and is deeply protective of Mia, even when it puts him in mortal danger. \n]]
** The WickedStepmother. Grace tries to be a GoodStepmother, but she isn't this either, because she has been pushed into a situation she doesn't understand and isn't equipped to handle, then has a psychotic break and kills them all.]]
** The WickedStepmother. Grace tries to be a GoodStepmother, but she isn't this either, because she has been pushed into a situation she doesn't understand and isn't equipped to handle, then has a psychotic break and kills them all.
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* DeconstructionFleet: The story deconstructs multiple different subgenres and tropes associated with them, particularly the horror tropes surrounding the story where an unwanted stepmother moves with her stepkid(s) to a foreign location, such as ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' and ''Film/TheHouseAtTheEndOfTheStreet''.
** The CreepyChild horror trope. [[spoiler:Mia and Aiden both behave creepily, but that isn't because of anything sinister, but because they're explicitly trying to drive Grace insane, and because they're grieving their mother.]]
** The EnfantTerrible. [[spoiler:Neither Mia or Aiden are fully good or evil; Aiden is the coldest and morally darkest, but he's mourning his mother and is deeply protective of Mia, even when it puts him in mortal danger.
** The WickedStepmother. Grace tries to be a GoodStepmother, but she isn't this either, because she has been pushed into a situation she doesn't understand and isn't equipped to handle, then has a psychotic break and kills them all.]]
** The DeadAllAlong twist. [[spoiler:Mia and Aiden deliberately make it look like this has happened to get rid of Grace. Then, in the end, it - possibly - comes true.]]
** The CreepyChild horror trope. [[spoiler:Mia and Aiden both behave creepily, but that isn't because of anything sinister, but because they're explicitly trying to drive Grace insane, and because they're grieving their mother.]]
** The EnfantTerrible. [[spoiler:Neither Mia or Aiden are fully good or evil; Aiden is the coldest and morally darkest, but he's mourning his mother and is deeply protective of Mia, even when it puts him in mortal danger.
** The WickedStepmother. Grace tries to be a GoodStepmother, but she isn't this either, because she has been pushed into a situation she doesn't understand and isn't equipped to handle, then has a psychotic break and kills them all.]]
** The DeadAllAlong twist. [[spoiler:Mia and Aiden deliberately make it look like this has happened to get rid of Grace. Then, in the end, it - possibly - comes true.]]
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--> '''Aidan''': [[spoiler: We were just pretending]].
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--> '''Aidan''': [[spoiler: We were just pretending]].pretending]].
* WholePlotDeconstruction:
* WholePlotDeconstruction:
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No longer a trope.
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--> '''Aidan''': [[spoiler: We were just pretending]].
* YourCheatingHeart: Richard left Laura for the much younger Grace, which caused a lot of resentment from Aidan and Mia.
* YourCheatingHeart: Richard left Laura for the much younger Grace, which caused a lot of resentment from Aidan and Mia.
to:
--> '''Aidan''': [[spoiler: We were just pretending]].
* YourCheatingHeart: Richard left Laura for the much younger Grace, which caused a lot of resentment from Aidan and Mia.pretending]].
* YourCheatingHeart: Richard left Laura for the much younger Grace, which caused a lot of resentment from Aidan and Mia.
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* CensoredChildDeath: Possibly overlapping with ImprobableInfantSurvival, it ends with the strong implication that [[spoiler:Grace is about to kill Aidan and Mia.]] However, the fact that we don't ''see'' it occur has led to some speculation that [[spoiler:Grace actually came back from her psychotic break and was "only" trying to terrify Aidan and Mia.]]
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* CensoredChildDeath: Possibly overlapping with ImprobableInfantSurvival, it ends with the strong implication that [[spoiler:Grace is about to kill Aidan and Mia.]] However, the fact that we don't ''see'' it occur has led to some speculation that [[spoiler:Grace actually came back from her psychotic break and was "only" trying to terrify Aidan and Mia.Mia, which might be worse because it leaves the question of what she actually ''will'' do to them afterward.]]
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* AdultFear:
** The idea that if you divorce your spouse, they could respond by killing themselves, thus traumatizing your children. In a case of a child experiencing an adult fear, because the family is Catholic, Mia believes her beloved mother didn't go to Heaven.
** Your children being stranded in a blizzard, with no electricity, with someone they don't know, trust, or like.
** [[spoiler:Someone taking advantage of your trauma and mental illness to drive you to insanity]].
** The idea that if you divorce your spouse, they could respond by killing themselves, thus traumatizing your children. In a case of a child experiencing an adult fear, because the family is Catholic, Mia believes her beloved mother didn't go to Heaven.
** Your children being stranded in a blizzard, with no electricity, with someone they don't know, trust, or like.
** [[spoiler:Someone taking advantage of your trauma and mental illness to drive you to insanity]].
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* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:Subverted. Aidan and Mia intentionally convince Grace that this is what happened...so she makes it a reality. (Probably.)]]
to:
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Poor Grace. She grew up in a cult headed up by her father, and was the sole survivor of a mass suicide. She's clearly still reeling from the whole thing, and has a lot of trauma surrounding religion.
* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:Subverted. Aidan and Mia intentionally convince Grace that this is what happened... so she makes it a reality. (Probably.)]]
* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:Subverted. Aidan and Mia intentionally convince Grace that this is what happened... so she makes it a reality. (Probably.)]]
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* EnfanteTerrible: [[spoiler:Mia participates in the {{Gaslighting}} scheme, though Aidan appears to be the ringleader.]]
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* InnocentlyInsensitive: Grace wears a hat she found in the lodge, not realizing it belonged to Laura until an upset Mia informs her.
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* IronicName: Grace, as in "the grace of God," is a cult survivor who now dislikes religion.
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* MisplacedRetribution: [[spoiler:Richard was wrong to try and force the kids to spend time alone with Grace when they clearly were not ready and were still processing their mother's death, but the kids blame Grace for everything, even though she didn't actually do anything wrong]].
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* PetTheDog: Aidan clearly loves Mia very dearly. In one of the first scenes, the night of their mother's funeral, he brings a blanket and pillow into Mia's room and sleeps on the floor next to her bed, holding her hand to comfort her.
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* TeensAreMonsters: [[spoiler:Aidan is manipulative and appears the to be mastermind behind the scheme to drive Grace insane.]]
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* PolarMadness: Set in a cabin over a snowbound, freezing Christmas, the heating stops working, and Grace starts to hear the voice of her dead father, leading her to believe that she may have accidentally killed everyone in the cabin by using the space heater on the first night. [[spoiler: Made even more explicit by the fact that she hasn't; this is in fact all caused by gaslighting from Aiden and Mia. However, when Grace tries to escape the house to get help and look for her beloved dog Grady, she gets so disorientated, lost, and nearly dies in the snow that an unoccupied house convinces her that Aiden is right and they are all dead.]]
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* CensoredChildDeath: Possibly overlapping with ImprobableInfantSurvival, it ends with the strong implication that [[spoiler:Grace is about to kill Aidan and Mia.]] However, the fact that we don't ''see'' it occur has led to some speculation that [[spoiler:Grace actually came back from her psychotic break and was "only" trying to terrify Aidan and Mia.]]
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* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:Subverted. Aidan and Mia intentionally convince Grace that this is what happened...so she makes it a reality. (Probably.)]]
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* ShoutOut: Grace's dog being called Grady in reference to the first caretaker from ''Film/TheShining'' and ''Literature/TheShining''.
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* KnightTemplarBigBrother: Aidan is extremely protective of Mia and pushes her behind him when [[spoiler:Grace is on her finale rampage.]]
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* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:Mia and Aidan decide driving the cult survivor insane in an isolated area with no route of escape is just a ''wonderful'' little strategy. Guess how this turns out.]]
to:
* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:Mia TooDumbToLive:
** Mia and Aidandecide [[spoiler:decide driving the cult survivor insane in an isolated area with no route of escape is just a ''wonderful'' little strategy. Guess how this turns out.]] ]]
*** Even though she is young, Mia [[spoiler:''going down the stairs'' instead of just going to the bathroom in the corner of the attic while her stepmother is in the middle of a psychotic break that she caused]] and Aiden not stopping her.
** Richard leaving his children, who are in mourning for their mother who violently committed suicide, alone in the wilderness with their unstable stepmother, who survived a mass suicide.
** Mia and Aidan
*** Even though she is young, Mia [[spoiler:''going down the stairs'' instead of just going to the bathroom in the corner of the attic while her stepmother is in the middle of a psychotic break that she caused]] and Aiden not stopping her.
** Richard leaving his children, who are in mourning for their mother who violently committed suicide, alone in the wilderness with their unstable stepmother, who survived a mass suicide.
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* CreepyDollhouse: The film begins, in a reference to ''Film/{{Hereditary}}'', with the eerie surroundings of a dark house filled with religious belongings, before revealing it to apparently be the contents of Mia's dollhouse.
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Changed line(s) 27 (click to see context) from:
* HatesTheirParent: Aidan and Mia don't ''hate'' him, but they are angry and upset at their father for leaving their mother and [[spoiler:driving her to suicide.]] When it comes to their stepmother-to-be Grace, however, this trope is played completely straight.
to:
* HatesTheirParent: Aidan and Mia don't ''hate'' him, but they are angry and upset at their father for leaving their mother and [[spoiler:driving driving her to suicide.]] suicide. When it comes to their stepmother-to-be Grace, however, this trope is played completely straight.
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Changed line(s) 27 (click to see context) from:
* HatesTheirParent: Aidan and Mia don't ''hate'' him, but they are angry and upset at their father for leaving their mother and [[spoiler:driving her to suicide.]] When it comes to their stepmother Grace, however, this trope is played completely straight.
to:
* HatesTheirParent: Aidan and Mia don't ''hate'' him, but they are angry and upset at their father for leaving their mother and [[spoiler:driving her to suicide.]] When it comes to their stepmother stepmother-to-be Grace, however, this trope is played completely straight.
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* SecurityBlanket: Mia has her doll, and Grace has her dog Grady.
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* HatesTheirParent: Aidan and Mia don't ''hate'' him, but they are angry and upset at their father for leaving their mother and [[spoiler:driving her to suicide.]] When it comes to their stepmother Grace, however, this trope is played completely straight.
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* HatesTheirParent: Aidan and Mia don't ''hate'' him, but they are angry and upset at their father for leaving their mother and [[spoiler:driving her to suicide.]] When it comes to their stepmother Grace, however, this trope is played completely straight.
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* HatesTheirParent: Aidan and Mia don't ''hate'' him, but they are angry and upset at their father for leaving their mother and [[spoiler:driving her to suicide.]] When it comes to their stepmother Grace, however, this trope is played completely straight.
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* WhamLine: Near the end of the film, which reveals the truth behind the strange events from inside the lodge.
--> '''Aidan''': [[spoiler: We were just pretending]].
--> '''Aidan''': [[spoiler: We were just pretending]].
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They're not sociopaths at all.
Deleted line(s) 43 (click to see context) :
* TheSociopath: Aidan and Mia, arguably. [[spoiler: You'd have to be pretty lacking in empathy to exploit your stepmother's past trauma for the sake of confirming your suspicions. Despite this, they are protective of one another and realize that they went to far by killing Grace's dog.]]
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* CreepyChild: There's something inherently ''off'' about Aidan and Mia. [[spoiler:The trauma they put Grace through places them firmly into this camp.]]
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* TheSociopath: Aidan and Mia, arguably. [[spoiler: You'd have to be pretty lacking in empathy to exploit your stepmother's past trauma for the sake of confirming your suspicions.]]
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* TheSociopath: Aidan and Mia, arguably. [[spoiler: You'd have to be pretty lacking in empathy to exploit your stepmother's past trauma for the sake of confirming your suspicions. Despite this, they are protective of one another and realize that they went to far by killing Grace's dog.]]
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* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:Mia and Aidan decide driving the cult survivor insane in an isolated area with no route of escape is just a 'wonderful little strategy. Guess how this turns out.]]
to:
* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:Mia and Aidan decide driving the cult survivor insane in an isolated area with no route of escape is just a 'wonderful ''wonderful'' little strategy. Guess how this turns out.]]
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Changed line(s) 42 (click to see context) from:
* TheSociopath: Aidan and Mia, arguably.
to:
* TheSociopath: Aidan and Mia, arguably. [[spoiler: You'd have to be pretty lacking in empathy to exploit your stepmother's past trauma for the sake of confirming your suspicions.]]
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* ParentWithANewParamor: The central problems in the film are brought about as a result of Richard dating Grace and the kids not accepting her.
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* ParentWithANewParamor: ParentWithNewParamour: The central problems in the film are brought about as a result of Richard dating Grace and the kids not accepting her.
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* ParentWithANewParamour: The central problems in the film are brought about as a result of Richard dating Grace and the kids not accepting her.
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* ParentWithANewParamour: ParentWithANewParamor: The central problems in the film are brought about as a result of Richard dating Grace and the kids not accepting her.
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* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:The death of Grady, Grace's beloved dog, is enough to bring Aidan and Mia to true remorse as they never wanted him hurt.]]
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* ParentWithANewParamour: The central problems in the film are brought about as a result of Richard dating Grace and the kids not accepting her.
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* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:Mia and Aidan decide driving the cult survivor insane in an isolated area with no route of escape is just a 'wonderful little strategy. Guess how this turns out.]]
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* ReligiousHorror: Christian themes and iconography abound, which Grace struggles with, being a survivor of a fundamentalist suicide cult. [[spoiler:This is actually being invoked by Aiden and Mia, as they're aware of Grace's past in the cult, and are trying to drive her insane with it. It works. [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor Too well.]]]]
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* GoneHorriblyRight: [[spoiler:Aidan and Mia wanted to drive Grace insane. They succeed in the worst possible way with their own demises assured as a result.]]
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''The Lodge'' is a 2019 psychological horror film directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (of ''Film/GoodnightMommy'' fame).
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* TheSociopath: Aidan and Mia, arguably.
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''The Lodge'' is a 2019 psychological horror film directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (of ''Film/GoodnightMommy'' fame).
Richard (Creator/RichardArmitage) plans on divorcing his estranged wife, Laura (Creator/AliciaSilverstone) and marry his younger girlfriend, Grace (Creator/RileyKeough), who is the sole survivor of a fundamentalist suicide cult that Richard had once written a book about. A distraught Laura kills herself, traumatizing the couple's two children Aidan (Creator/JaedenMartell) and Mia (Lia [=McHugh=]). Months later, Richard pushes the children to accept Grace's invitation to stay at the family's remote lodge for Christmas in order to bond, and though Aidan and Mia are against Richard's marriage plans and suspicious of Grace, they eventually accept. But while Richard is away for business, a snowstorm hits and traps the three in the lodge, where strange events begin to occur.
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!! This film provides examples of:
* ArcWords: ''Repent.''
* BackstoryHorror: Grace had a traumatic and disturbing childhood, which makes Aidan and Mia especially suspicious of her.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Though he gets on her nerves like any big brother, Aidan clearly loves and is very protective of Mia.
* BlatantLies: Richard insists to a visiting Laura that Grace isn't home despite having two wine glasses out. Laura even looks out the window to see Grace quietly leaving.
* BreakTheCutie: Poor Grace.Every new event just seems determined to crush her spirits.
* CanineCompanion: Grady, Grace's beloved dog. He's extremely important to Grace, who found something to live for in him after the events of the cult. [[spoiler:Small wonder that her discovering his body is what finally breaks her sanity.]]
* ChekhovsGun: The heirloom gun that Richard teaches Grace how to shoot. [[spoiler:Which becomes her weapon of choice during her mental breakdown.]]
* {{Cult}}: Grace is the daughter of the leader of a fundamentalist cult; her father had convinced them all to kill themselves in order to join Jesus Christ, but had left her alive to carry on his message.
* DangerThinIce: Grace falls through the ice while trying to rescue Mia's doll. She's rescued before any serious injury, though.
* {{Determinator}}: Wearing nothing more than a couple of blankets, Grace walks for miles in a snowstorm to try to get help. [[spoiler:This goes UpToEleven with the reveal that nobody is dead or in purgatory (and incapable of dying) -- she really did walk that far on her own.]]
* DownerBeginning: The film opens with Laura dying by suicide and her funeral, which traumatizes Mia and devastates Aidan.
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:The children gaslight Grace to the point where she loses her mind and fully believes they're all in purgatory. Richard is killed while trying to calm Grace down, and after the children fail to escape, Grace [[BolivianArmyEnding prepares to kill them both and then herself]], putting tape on their mouths like the dead members of her old cult.]]
* DrivenToMadness: [[spoiler:Aidan and Mia have been attempting to do this to Grace, likely in order to break her and Richard up.]]
* DrivenToSuicide:
** The fundamentalist cult, led by Grace's father, did this prior to the events of the film.
** Laura kills herself after learning that Richard plans on finalizing their divorce and marrying Grace.
* {{Gaslighting}}: [[spoiler:Aidan and Mia drug Grace, kill the phones, and hide all of their belongings, leaving her breadcrumbs before outright insisting that they all died in an accident and that they need to repent.]]
* GoryDiscretionShot: So, so averted. Laura's suicide and [[spoiler:Grace shooting Richard]] are all shown onscreen.
* HopeSpot: [[spoiler:After Grace shoots Richard, the children manage to escape to Richard's car and try to drive away... Only to almost immediately get stuck in a snowbank.]]
* InstantWakingSkills: Grace tends to wake quickly after her nightmares.
* KidsShouldntWatchHorrorFilms: Grace plays ''Film/TheThing1982'' for the children, but quickly realizes that a violent, disturbing film about a DwindlingParty trapped in a snowy hellhole probably isn't the best for them.
* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:Every single character introduced in the story is either dead or will soon be dead by the credits.]]
* MinimalistCast: The brunt of the plot centers on three main characters.
* MyCarHatesMe: [[spoiler:Richard's car gets stuck in the snow right when the children are trying to escape.]]
* NiceGirl: Grace makes a genuine effort to connect with Aidan and Mia and make their Christmas special, but they rebuff her at every turn, suspicious of her due to her past.
* NothingIsScarier: Though nothing is wrong with the lodge itself, it definitely ''feels'' haunted. When the trio's belongings vanish, it only seems more sinister.
* OhCrap: Aidan and Mia [[spoiler:when they realize that they've gone too far with Grace, and are also unable to restart the generator or give her back her medication.]]
* ParentsAsPeople: Richard clearly loves his children, but also pushes them to spend Christmas with Grace when it's clear they're not ready to accept her into the family.
* PrettyLittleHeadshots: Played straight with Laura [[spoiler:and averted with Richard.]]
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:The trio still has all their belongings; Aidan and Mia had drugged Grace and put them in a hidden crawlspace. Mia really has been calling Richard the whole time to prevent him from getting suspicious. The children had been planning on gaslighting Grace before the trip and were responsible for all the details of her hallucinations.]]
* SanitySlippage: Grace's sanity slowly breaks during the trip as a result of stress, hunger, cold, medication withdrawal, and anxiety. [[spoiler:Then it gets even worse when Aidan and Mia convince her that they're all dead and in purgatory, and start making her believe that she's hearing her father's voice telling her to repent. ''Then'' she discovers her dead dog. By the time the children realize they've gone too far, it's too late to bring her back, and she fully succumbs to the belief that they're in purgatory and kills them all.]]
* SpookyPainting: There's a religious painting on the wall, which Grace hates, and even changes spots while eating to avoid looking at it.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Mia is obsessed with her mother's death and clearly views the doll of her as the real Laura, to an extent. Then there's Aidan peeping on Grace in the shower. [[spoiler:To say nothing of their dedicated gaslighting. Richard is only clued into a possible issue when he looks into Mia's dollhouse and becomes suspicious of what they've been planning.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: Richard left Laura for the much younger Grace, which caused a lot of resentment from Aidan and Mia.
Richard (Creator/RichardArmitage) plans on divorcing his estranged wife, Laura (Creator/AliciaSilverstone) and marry his younger girlfriend, Grace (Creator/RileyKeough), who is the sole survivor of a fundamentalist suicide cult that Richard had once written a book about. A distraught Laura kills herself, traumatizing the couple's two children Aidan (Creator/JaedenMartell) and Mia (Lia [=McHugh=]). Months later, Richard pushes the children to accept Grace's invitation to stay at the family's remote lodge for Christmas in order to bond, and though Aidan and Mia are against Richard's marriage plans and suspicious of Grace, they eventually accept. But while Richard is away for business, a snowstorm hits and traps the three in the lodge, where strange events begin to occur.
----
!! This film provides examples of:
* ArcWords: ''Repent.''
* BackstoryHorror: Grace had a traumatic and disturbing childhood, which makes Aidan and Mia especially suspicious of her.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Though he gets on her nerves like any big brother, Aidan clearly loves and is very protective of Mia.
* BlatantLies: Richard insists to a visiting Laura that Grace isn't home despite having two wine glasses out. Laura even looks out the window to see Grace quietly leaving.
* BreakTheCutie: Poor Grace.Every new event just seems determined to crush her spirits.
* CanineCompanion: Grady, Grace's beloved dog. He's extremely important to Grace, who found something to live for in him after the events of the cult. [[spoiler:Small wonder that her discovering his body is what finally breaks her sanity.]]
* ChekhovsGun: The heirloom gun that Richard teaches Grace how to shoot. [[spoiler:Which becomes her weapon of choice during her mental breakdown.]]
* {{Cult}}: Grace is the daughter of the leader of a fundamentalist cult; her father had convinced them all to kill themselves in order to join Jesus Christ, but had left her alive to carry on his message.
* DangerThinIce: Grace falls through the ice while trying to rescue Mia's doll. She's rescued before any serious injury, though.
* {{Determinator}}: Wearing nothing more than a couple of blankets, Grace walks for miles in a snowstorm to try to get help. [[spoiler:This goes UpToEleven with the reveal that nobody is dead or in purgatory (and incapable of dying) -- she really did walk that far on her own.]]
* DownerBeginning: The film opens with Laura dying by suicide and her funeral, which traumatizes Mia and devastates Aidan.
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:The children gaslight Grace to the point where she loses her mind and fully believes they're all in purgatory. Richard is killed while trying to calm Grace down, and after the children fail to escape, Grace [[BolivianArmyEnding prepares to kill them both and then herself]], putting tape on their mouths like the dead members of her old cult.]]
* DrivenToMadness: [[spoiler:Aidan and Mia have been attempting to do this to Grace, likely in order to break her and Richard up.]]
* DrivenToSuicide:
** The fundamentalist cult, led by Grace's father, did this prior to the events of the film.
** Laura kills herself after learning that Richard plans on finalizing their divorce and marrying Grace.
* {{Gaslighting}}: [[spoiler:Aidan and Mia drug Grace, kill the phones, and hide all of their belongings, leaving her breadcrumbs before outright insisting that they all died in an accident and that they need to repent.]]
* GoryDiscretionShot: So, so averted. Laura's suicide and [[spoiler:Grace shooting Richard]] are all shown onscreen.
* HopeSpot: [[spoiler:After Grace shoots Richard, the children manage to escape to Richard's car and try to drive away... Only to almost immediately get stuck in a snowbank.]]
* InstantWakingSkills: Grace tends to wake quickly after her nightmares.
* KidsShouldntWatchHorrorFilms: Grace plays ''Film/TheThing1982'' for the children, but quickly realizes that a violent, disturbing film about a DwindlingParty trapped in a snowy hellhole probably isn't the best for them.
* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:Every single character introduced in the story is either dead or will soon be dead by the credits.]]
* MinimalistCast: The brunt of the plot centers on three main characters.
* MyCarHatesMe: [[spoiler:Richard's car gets stuck in the snow right when the children are trying to escape.]]
* NiceGirl: Grace makes a genuine effort to connect with Aidan and Mia and make their Christmas special, but they rebuff her at every turn, suspicious of her due to her past.
* NothingIsScarier: Though nothing is wrong with the lodge itself, it definitely ''feels'' haunted. When the trio's belongings vanish, it only seems more sinister.
* OhCrap: Aidan and Mia [[spoiler:when they realize that they've gone too far with Grace, and are also unable to restart the generator or give her back her medication.]]
* ParentsAsPeople: Richard clearly loves his children, but also pushes them to spend Christmas with Grace when it's clear they're not ready to accept her into the family.
* PrettyLittleHeadshots: Played straight with Laura [[spoiler:and averted with Richard.]]
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:The trio still has all their belongings; Aidan and Mia had drugged Grace and put them in a hidden crawlspace. Mia really has been calling Richard the whole time to prevent him from getting suspicious. The children had been planning on gaslighting Grace before the trip and were responsible for all the details of her hallucinations.]]
* SanitySlippage: Grace's sanity slowly breaks during the trip as a result of stress, hunger, cold, medication withdrawal, and anxiety. [[spoiler:Then it gets even worse when Aidan and Mia convince her that they're all dead and in purgatory, and start making her believe that she's hearing her father's voice telling her to repent. ''Then'' she discovers her dead dog. By the time the children realize they've gone too far, it's too late to bring her back, and she fully succumbs to the belief that they're in purgatory and kills them all.]]
* SpookyPainting: There's a religious painting on the wall, which Grace hates, and even changes spots while eating to avoid looking at it.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Mia is obsessed with her mother's death and clearly views the doll of her as the real Laura, to an extent. Then there's Aidan peeping on Grace in the shower. [[spoiler:To say nothing of their dedicated gaslighting. Richard is only clued into a possible issue when he looks into Mia's dollhouse and becomes suspicious of what they've been planning.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: Richard left Laura for the much younger Grace, which caused a lot of resentment from Aidan and Mia.
