I apologize if any of the following ideas have already been postulated/discussed at length before; I've been through the boards fairly thoroughly, and haven't seen anyone else offer them.

1) Ben Horne was meant for great things.

Everytime Ben tries to do something bad, it ultimately ends up backfiring; something seems to want to keep blood off of his hands:

A) Andrew Packard found out about the plan to kill him and faked his own death.

B) Leo Johnson and Catherine both survived Ben's attempts to have them killed.

C) Hank was caught by Jean Renault before he could kill Cooper/interfere in Audrey's rescue.

Someone on the IMDB message boards had the idea that the Great Northern would play an important role in the Lodge story arcs: The appearance of Bob and MFAP there after Josie's death is unique in the series. This person's idea went that the Great Northern could act as a kind of lure/homing beacon for Black/White Lodge spirits, and possibly be used to trap them (taking into account Josie's imprisonment in the wood). If this holds any water, then someone had to give the Hotel this power... I don't think that Ben's home movies of his dad were simply put in the show to demonstrate how far Ben had fallen. I think it's possible that Ben's dad knew about the Lodges, and was an agent for the White Lodge-- and that Ben was ultimately fated to follow in his footsteps.

2) Hank was possessed.

Sheriff Truman tells us that he and Hank were once good friends, and that Hank was one of the best of the Bookhouse Boys. We're never given an answer as to what spurred him to become a creepy hick killer-for-hire. However, in the show, we do see several glimpses of otherwise good people becoming bad without apparent reason-- and it always involved the Lodges.

I agree that the Great Northern was tied up in the supernatural whether it be the Lodges or whatever you want to call it. The shot after Philip Gerard has been tied up and not given his drugs and he gives a clue and Cooper utters "The Great Northern!" and there is an image of the place as the lightning strikes. It's fairly cliched but works really effectively. Also, Ben's Home videos being in the credits gave them a real extra importance that I couldn't place until your post.

Something else to consider is Ben Horne's breakdown, and how the show repeatedly ties mental illness to spirit possession and the lodges:

1) Leland's behavior while possessed is written off by different characters as insanity

2) Philip Gerard takes halperidol to drive away Mike; halperidol is a drug used to treat schizophrenia

3) Windom Earle, whose precarious mental state is debated by Cooper throughout several episodes, apparently suffers from some form of psychosis

Following the whole "arrested for Laura's murder debacle," Ben goes through a period of mental illness that immediately precedes his attempts to "be good."

Kinda sorta related-- really another observation entirely-- consider that mental illness seems to run in Ben Horne's blood:

A) Ben repeatedly tries to murder people in the pursuit of financial gain; later, he enters a deep depression, suffers a nervous breakdown, and believes himself to be fighting the Civil War

B) Audrey Horne, at the beginning of Season 1, demonstrates a great deal of behavior that would lead one to believe that she's at the very least, "disturbed"

C) Johnny Horne-- 'nuff said.

D) Jerry Horne seems to be a grade-A psychopath, especially in his scene with Blackie.

I'm not trying to be a downer -but the examples of Ben's attempts backfiring are more based on this being a television show and it supplies the drama.  It's not about Ben's attempts failing as much as it is he's the heavy and sets up the danger obsticles for the heros. 

His attempt on Cooper's life is going to fail because first we need danger for the hero, and someone to set that up; the series is not going to kill off Cooper and Audrey, but keep setting up life-threatening scenarios for them.

Leo and Catherine not being killed off is because they were needed for the series, etc.

Does that make sense?

Interesting theory about the Lodge and one I was quick to shoot down.  The Lodge I'm sure was never thought of initially in the first season, and was developed when they began brainstorming about follow-up mysteries to replace Laura Palmer.  BUT the Great Northern breaking soil film was written in the beginning of the Black Lodge mystery -so it is possible.  Frost's vision of the Black Lodge was a deranged version of the Great Northern in his original script for the finale -so it is entirely possible.   Ben and Audrey had mirrored Leland and Laura, so his breakdown and follow-up story could have had roots in it. I'm open to this.

That god damn trailer's more popular than Uncle's Day in a whorehouse!

That god damn trailer's more popular than Uncle's Day in a whorehouse!

That god damn trailer's more popular than Uncle's Day in a whorehouse!