The Lodgers

The film opens with Laura visiting Richard along with her children, Aiden and Mia. Richard announces he's engaged to Grace, sparking a bitter confrontation. Laura, overwhelmed by the situation, dies by suicide that night.

Laura is laid to rest by her family, who are overwhelmed with grief. Mia, a devout Catholic, fears Laura will not reach heaven because of suicide, deepening the family's sorrow. The funeral marks the beginning of strained bonds and unresolved guilt among the survivors.

Six months pass and Richard proposes Christmas at Grace's family lodge in Massachusetts to help the kids bond with Grace. Aiden and Mia bitterly oppose the plan, blaming Grace for their mother's death. Aiden explicitly criticizes Richard for choosing Grace over Laura.

While researching Grace's past, Aiden and Mia find online articles and photographs showing Grace's ties to a religious cult led by her father. The images depict cult members blindfolded with tape on their mouths and marked with SIN. Richard knows some of this history but insists Grace has moved on and can be trusted.

The group travels to the lodge with Grace and her dog Grady. Grace makes earnest attempts to connect with Aiden and Mia, but the children remain cold and suspicious. The adults' private moments are overheard by the kids through thin walls as they settle in.

Everyone goes outside onto the risky ice of the lake. Aiden is upset when Grace wears Laura's hat, prompting tension. Mia's doll slips into the water and Grace tries to retrieve it as the ice fractures; Richard manages to pull Grace from the icy water in time.

The next day, Richard receives a call to work in the city and leaves Grace in charge for Christmas. He leaves Grace his gun for protection, heightening the perceived risk for the children. Grace struggles to establish trust as Aiden and Mia remain hostile.

With Richard away, Grace's meds run low and a winter storm cuts power and phones. Items in the cabin vanish, clocks are moved, and the word REPENT appears on mirrors. Grady disappears, intensifying Grace's growing paranoia.

Grace begins sleepwalking and hearing her father's sermons as the medication shortage worsens her grip on reality. She suspects the kids are tormenting her but also senses a malevolent force in the cold, believing they are dead or in purgatory. Aiden tells Grace he dreamt of a heater malfunction killing them all, reinforcing her fear.

Grace ventures outside and discovers a cabin shaped like a cross, where she seems to hear her father calling to her. Inside, she finds a framed note titled 'In Loving Memory' about Aiden and Mia and a tale of their supposed deaths by carbon monoxide. Aiden insists they are dead and that purgatory may be real, further destabilizing Grace.

Grace later encounters Aiden hanging, but the boy seems unfazed, as if to prove they are in purgatory. The confrontation leaves Grace more unsettled and convinced of their undead state. She staggers back to the lodge, overwhelmed by fear.

Grace roams outside through the night while Grady is found frozen to death. Mia blames herself for leaving the door open, and Grace becomes convinced they are trapped in purgatory. She refuses to come inside, enduring the cold and isolation until morning.

The kids reveal they have been gaslighting Grace: stealing medications, hiding belongings, and playing recordings of her father's sermons. They lock themselves in the attic to torment her and feed into her delusion that she is losing her mind. The deception culminates in a chilling display of control within the lodge.

Richard returns to a frostbitten Grace who remains convinced they are dead. He tries to talk her down, but Grace shoots him, killing him. The children rush to Richard's body as the truth about the manipulation surfaces and danger intensifies.

Grace seats the kids and Richard's corpse at the table and forces them to sing a church hymn. She tapes their mouths with SIN and leaves the gun on the table, creating a stark, unsettling final image. The film ends with Grace alone, consumed by her beliefs and isolation.