What a weird and crazy movie Ghostland (aka Incident in Ghostland) is. It’s one of those films where if we explained the plot it would give too much away.
But we recommend it highly for its twisty and mean nature, it’s truly something that needs to be seen to be believed. As for those who will like it most, the good news is that it hits upon a lot of genres. From home invasion to the supernatural to psychopathic families to grief core.
Ghostland isn’t just one thing, it’s a collection of many ideas and that’s what makes it so special. Keep in mind, the average horror fan isn’t going to catch any of its winks to directors like Shyamalan, James Wan, Tobe Hooper or Wes Craven, but aficionados are going to have a ball with all the references.
As to not spoil anything here’s a bare-bones breakdown: A family of three is terrorized by invaders who break into their secluded house one night. The mother, Pauline, protects her daughters Beth and Vera tooth and nail. It’s a brutal attack which leaves everyone traumatized, but Pauline manages to kill the two perps. That’s only the first 10 minutes.
Almost twenty years later and Beth has become a successful author writing a book about her experiences on that fateful night. One day she gets a desperate phone call from Vera who still lives in the house with her mother, begging Beth to come home. That’s where we’ll leave it. Saying anything else would ruin the remaining hour.
Movies like these tend to get missed. This one’s a decade old and no one really talks about it. It’s a shame too because director Pascal Laugier has thrown a plate of spaghetti at the wall and everything stuck.
Psychologically Ghostland is going to get under your skin but once you settle into those feelings it takes so many terrifying hard turns you almost forget to breathe.
The core motivation is a bit threadbare and I wish it hadn’t been so derivative, but that doesn’t mean it’s not unnerving. Think of it less like Ari Aster and, dare I say, more like Rob Zombie—but in a good way—somewhere in the middle they meet.
Ghostland is a brutal picture that batters you around like a kitten with a ball of yarn. Just when you think you’ve seen the worst it has to offer it bashes you over the head with something new.
It may be a collective of things you have already seen but damn, does it bite down hard with all its teeth and shake you around like a rag doll.
If you are curious about this rollercoaster ride click HERE to see where it’s streaming.