It's been about a month since I watched "Incident in a Ghostland" and whenever I think about it a shiver runs down my spine. It is like nothing I have ever seen. I knew absolutely nothing about the film when I sat down to watch it but it is now up there as one of the most disturbing films that I've ever sat through. Very rare is it that you feel the trauma of the characters on screen. I'd like to add that I am by no means easily shocked, and I am a huge horror fan. "Incident in a Ghostland" sure took the wind from my sails, and from a cinematic perspective, I believe I could give Pascal Laugier no greater credit.
The entire premise of the film is bizarre. It is difficult to describe, but on one hand it is a grim fairytale and on the other it leans towards exploitation. But director Pascal Laugier is such a master at the helm that he steers it through and comes out the other end strong. Two bickering sisters and their French mother travel to their late-aunt's house out in the countryside to live there. It is one big dollhouse, as there are hundreds of the things lying about the place. Here, they become the target of two creepy serial killers. Taylor Hickson, who plays one of the main characters, suffered a horrific accident on set and was left disfigured when her head went through a glass window. An awful thing to happen, and it has understandably shadowed the film. For me, it certainly adds to the bad feeling that the film leaves you with. It is an experience, as all great cinema is. Just be warned that this could be one you might want to skip...
The entire premise of the film is bizarre. It is difficult to describe, but on one hand it is a grim fairytale and on the other it leans towards exploitation. But director Pascal Laugier is such a master at the helm that he steers it through and comes out the other end strong. Two bickering sisters and their French mother travel to their late-aunt's house out in the countryside to live there. It is one big dollhouse, as there are hundreds of the things lying about the place. Here, they become the target of two creepy serial killers. Taylor Hickson, who plays one of the main characters, suffered a horrific accident on set and was left disfigured when her head went through a glass window. An awful thing to happen, and it has understandably shadowed the film. For me, it certainly adds to the bad feeling that the film leaves you with. It is an experience, as all great cinema is. Just be warned that this could be one you might want to skip...