Arrow release for Martyrs director Pascal Laugier's latest. An H.P. Lovecraft fixated aspiring horror writer and her elder sibling are driven by Mum to Grandma's house of dolls in the countryside for an unexpected home invasion.
As with all of Laugier's work (see also House Of Voices and The Tall Man), there's plenty of twists and turns and far more to it than first meets the eye. The less you know before going in, the better.
So what can I tell you? Well, if you couldn't stomach the aforementioned Martyrs, then give this particular Incident a wide berth. Ghostland doesn't quite hit the stomach churning 'heights' of his controversial 2008 movie, but it still proves he hasn't lost his touch when it comes to expertly unleashing brutal bruising violence. There's nothing sexy about fist induced swollen eye sockets & shattered cheek bones, and Laugier rams this conceit home harder than any of his villains.
But this is a l-o-n-g way from being just another tawdry psycho intruders break-in potboiler. Genre clichés and tropes are liberally deployed for sure (as is some outstandingly creepy art direction and set design), but this is deceptive gravy for what is really a psychological exploration of the power of imagination overcoming traumatic scarring and complete mental breakdown.
Laugier has always stated he wrote the screenplay for Martyrs under a weighty cloud of depression, and with that in mind, its not too difficult to see his latest for what it is: an autobiographical take on the cathartic nature of creating his most talked about work. Martyrs may always be the child that gets the most attention, but if he never makes another movie, this one will surely be recognised as the baby to which he has the most personal attachment.
In a year that has brought us the powerhouse terror of Ari Astor's sublime Hereditary, Laugier's ugly newborn will have to settle for second place silver medal, albeit a substantially strong one. Approach with caution, but this Ghostland is well worth a visit.
As with all of Laugier's work (see also House Of Voices and The Tall Man), there's plenty of twists and turns and far more to it than first meets the eye. The less you know before going in, the better.
So what can I tell you? Well, if you couldn't stomach the aforementioned Martyrs, then give this particular Incident a wide berth. Ghostland doesn't quite hit the stomach churning 'heights' of his controversial 2008 movie, but it still proves he hasn't lost his touch when it comes to expertly unleashing brutal bruising violence. There's nothing sexy about fist induced swollen eye sockets & shattered cheek bones, and Laugier rams this conceit home harder than any of his villains.
But this is a l-o-n-g way from being just another tawdry psycho intruders break-in potboiler. Genre clichés and tropes are liberally deployed for sure (as is some outstandingly creepy art direction and set design), but this is deceptive gravy for what is really a psychological exploration of the power of imagination overcoming traumatic scarring and complete mental breakdown.
Laugier has always stated he wrote the screenplay for Martyrs under a weighty cloud of depression, and with that in mind, its not too difficult to see his latest for what it is: an autobiographical take on the cathartic nature of creating his most talked about work. Martyrs may always be the child that gets the most attention, but if he never makes another movie, this one will surely be recognised as the baby to which he has the most personal attachment.
In a year that has brought us the powerhouse terror of Ari Astor's sublime Hereditary, Laugier's ugly newborn will have to settle for second place silver medal, albeit a substantially strong one. Approach with caution, but this Ghostland is well worth a visit.
