REVIEW: Little Bone Lodge (2023, dir. Matthias Hoene)

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 93 mins

UK Distributor: Signature Entertainment

WHO’S IN LITTLE BONE LODGE?

Joely Richardson, Neil Linpow, Sadie Soverall, Harry Cadby, Cameron Jack, Roger Ajogbe, Euan Bennet, Jamie Melrose, Clifford Samuel, Sharon Young

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Matthias Hoene (director), Neil Linpow (writer), Mark Lane (producer), Christopher Carmichael (composer), Job Reineke (cinematographer), Niles Howard (editor)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

A family living in the Scottish Highlands is visited by a pair of criminals…

WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON LITTLE BONE LODGE?

I’ve seen enough home invasion horror-thrillers to know when something is not quite right with the people whose home is being invaded. Thanks to familiar examples like Funny Games and Don’t Breathe, and even some of the more obscure ones (remember The Owners, that one with Maisie Williams and Sylvester McCoy? To be honest, even I’m surprised that I remember it), there’s always the expectation that the main threat doesn’t necessarily come from the invaders, and Little Bone Lodge – from director Matthias Hoene, best known as the director of Cockneys vs. Zombies – all but confirms that suspicion right away (how exactly is what I’ll reveal momentarily).

However, even if the element of surprise is nowhere near as effective as it once was, there’s still a fair bit to like about this film, especially as it doubles down on its nastiness as well as its amusingly twisted plotting.

The film begins during a dark and stormy night on a secluded farmhouse somewhere in the Scottish Highlands, where a family lives a life free of most modern appliances. The matriarch, simply known as Mama (Joely Richardson), lives with her teenage daughter Maisy (Sadie Soverall) and her wheelchair-bound husband (Roger Ajogbe), who is constantly doped up on some strong painkillers, and on this night is having a small birthday celebration. Suddenly, a knock at the door brings the party down: mentally-challenged young man Matty (Harry Cadby) is pleading for someone to give urgent medical attention to his older brother Jack (Neil Linpow, who also wrote the screenplay), after both have seemingly been involved in a car accident. Shortly after, the brothers – who, in actuality, are criminals on the run from the law – wind up holding the family at gunpoint until they can finally get away. Unfortunately for them, this family – and especially Mama – have some terrifying secrets that are about to come bubbling up to the surface, making this a long and difficult night for everyone.

From the plot description, you may have already picked up on some major clues as to what kind of things are set to be revealed about this family later on, and without revealing any spoilers there’s a very good chance that the kind of twist you might be picturing in your head concerning this family and their relation to the clearly dominant Mama is the one that actually becomes apparent here. Admittedly, though, the way that the opening moments are shot, written and acted – which play out kind of like an alternate universe version of Pearl, if it was all from the mother’s point of view – do lean heavily on the foreshadowing, which make it more than a little obvious that something is definitely not right about this seemingly content family. However, Hoene manages to create a decent thriller atmosphere that’s as unsettling as it is rather creepy, and the performances – especially a scarily self-composed Joely Richardson – are committed enough to allowing the viewer to pick up on subtle character moments that further telegraph their ultimate roles in this story.

When the brothers turn up early on, it initially settles into a series of home invasion movie checkboxes, from the establishment of particular locations to the unexpected arrival of a police officer during the action, which for a while traps Little Bone Lodge in that reliable but familiar formula. However, as the bigger picture comes to light, and as you see exactly what Mama has got going on as well as what she is fully capable of, things get considerably grislier and unforgiving with its grim tone. While it’s not exactly scary, it is impressively tense, and both Hoene and writer Linpow, who also puts in a solid villain turn opposite Harry Cadby’s mostly composed collection of mental illness conventions, cleverly turn certain expectations on the viewer’s head, particularly when it comes to determining who or even if there is anyone in this situation that could be considered the actual hero. The answers it has regarding that are twisted in their own special way, and at times you can understand why certain people would gravitate toward another person in particular, or even be driven further apart, because the writing does humanise these characters and finds ways to make them feel real in a plot that does get a bit more twisty as it goes on.

By the time it unnecessarily goes into climax mode, involving a shootout with secondary characters that are only introduced during the third act, Little Bone Lodge threatens to begin the process of going off the rails. However, a nasty collection of final shots helps the film land comfortably enough on its own two feet, leaving it as a mostly satisfying little thriller with an edge that isn’t as blunt as it first appears to be, while also allowing Joely Richardson the rare opportunity to relish playing a rather unhinged anti-hero.

Those seeking a chilling movie night in can’t do too badly by giving Little Bone Lodge an uneasy visit.

SO, TO SUM UP…

Little Bone Lodge is a tense home invasion thriller that benefits from a disarmingly nasty streak which turns certain expectations on the viewer’s head, although some of their other expectations may be firmly met due to a reliable but conventional template.