Strap yourself in cause this one is a bit of a rough ride.

Incident in a Ghostland (aka Ghostland) is directed by Pascal Laugier, the same brilliant mind that brought us the relentless torture masterpiece Martyrs. But do not let the English dialogue or placement in the Netflix queue fool you. Incident in a Ghostland definitely belongs within the confines of the New French Extremity cannon. So, if watching young women getting brutalized is not your thing, this film is definitely not for you.

On a side note, Incident in a Ghostland is also the film that left a very visible scar on actress Taylor Hickson face after she was told that it was safe to punch on a plate of glass during her last day of filming. Turns out, it was not. 70 stiches. Yikes! The hospital photos posted online are brutal. Hope the lawsuit compensates Hickson well.

And while I am on the subject, who designed and approved the film’s poster? I understand that it works with the film’s doll motif…but come on…a cracked face! Was the studio intentionally trying to troll Hickson? Not cool.

Back to the film.

Incident in a Ghostland is about a fourteen-year-old named Beth (Emilia Jones) who likes to read Lovecraft and write stories about ghastly things. Her older sister Vera (Hickson) thinks she’s a bit of a freak, but there also is a tinge of envy since their single mother Pauline (Mylene Farmer) clearly favours Beth. When we first meet the family, they are on their way to start a new life in an old rural house they inherited from Pauline’s recently deceased sister. The trip seems mostly uneventful, except when they are passed by an odd-looking ice cream truck.

When they get to their destination, it turns out, Aunt Clarisse was kind of an eccentric, as her decaying house is filled to the brim with creepy old stuff, including a bizarre collection of dolls of all sizes. Also, the newspaper warns about a known serial killer targeting single mothers that are living with their daughters…so there’s that. 

Now about that ice cream truck.

Incident in a Ghostland is not a film that worries too much about explaining away the conveniences of its set up. Instead, the film introduces three female actresses, provides them with just a whisper of backstory, gives them an eerie location to explore- then Laugier hits the accelerator and never lets up. In fact, the film is often so intense that people marvel at the fact that its run-time is only 91 minutes. Laugier knows how to make the most of the film’s modest run-time.

Fans of Martyrs will recognize Laugier’s fingerprints all over Incident in a Ghostland. Just when you get use to one horrible reality, the film morphs and challenges you to accept another. There is also an interesting psychological twist that works really well because Laugier is not afraid to place his reveals early. Incident at a Ghostland may not be as bold or powerful a film as Martyrs, but it shows the same craftmanship that has made Laugier a name to remember in horror.

And yes, it is gory. The make-up work done to our young victims is particularly startling. And yes, it is a little perverse and uncomfortable. But so far Laugier has only been interested in taking audiences further to the line then they are use to. He has, arguably, never crossed it. 

And there are a few good jump scares too.

Reading online, I have noticed a tendency of many critics to attack Incident in a Ghostland while trying to maintain the reputation of Martyrs. One common criticism that I find a bit inauthentic is that Ghostland lacks Martyrs‘s meta-critique, a statement I find a ironic because Ghostland‘s meta-aspects actually feels much more overt. I feel like most critics intentionally dismiss Ghostland‘s meta-critique even though its obviously there- and I suspect that I might know the reasons. For one thing, torture in films are not as in vogue in 2018 as it was in 2008. (For a time, the Saw franchise brought those films deemed as “torture-porn” to the mainstream.) For another, Laugier makes one of his killers a trans man. Obviously this isn’t a particularly woke move, but I’ll let you decide for yourself if you find it offensive. Then there’s the bad taste left from the whole Hickson incident and how poorly it was handled. 

Still, critics should not ignore the fact that Incident on a Ghostland makes a lot out of young Beth’s own interest in scary stories. Many who criticize Ghostland draw attention to its perceived plot holes or unanswered questions, but I think an important point gets missed when they do this. Laugier has intentionally made this film feel like we are experiencing one of the young protagonist’s stories. Have they ever read Lovecraft? He is, after all, the writer Beth admits she is trying to emulate. (The film even starts with a portrait of Lovecraft followed by the text “Freakin’ awesome horror writer. The best. By far. -Elizabeth Keller”. Hell, H.G., played by actor Paul Titly, even makes a brief cameo!) And yes, I know Ghostland isn’t a cosmic horror, but Lovecraft has definitely written his fair share of stories about people doing awful things in nightmarish houses. 

Incident in a Ghostland explores two main questions: is it normal for people to enjoy, and even want to create, these horrible, horrible stories about abuse and violence and does enjoying these stories equip you differently when a real-life traumatic event occurs?  (Hmmm- I wonder why the man who brought Martyrs might have an interest in posing these questions.)

Regardless of how critics feel about the plot, one thing all people seem to agree on is that Danny Nowak’s cinematography is stunning. Also, the creepy old house, though cliché, is absolutely nailed as the setting in this film.

Not everyone who watches Incident in a Ghostland is going to like it. Laugier seems content making intentionally divisive films that exploit the issue of sexual abuse. 2018 was a pretty special year in horror movies, and this one was marred by a troubled production, so I understand why it might had been overlooked. But if you liked Martyrs and don’t mind your horror films getting mean and nasty, give this one a try. I’m not saying it as brilliant or as groundbreaking as Martyrs, but I will say that it is a smarter film then its often given credit for.