Incident in a Ghostland  ★★★

AS A fan of French extreme horror, I had high hopes for Incident in a Ghostland.

Director and writer Pascal Laugnier’s 2008 film Martyrs is a modern horror classic and one of the most intense films you will ever see.

Incident in a Ghostland, while disturbingly frightening, doesn’t reach the same heights, perhaps because of the lower rating and its Canadian/French backing.

On scree, two of the main reasons are and the motivational basis of the characters and the underlying theme.

At its core, Martyrs depicts an attempt, however warped it may be, to understand the human condition; our reason for being. The characters’ motivations are explored within this context.

Our sympathies for the victims are deepened by the revelations as to why they are being targeted.

In contrast, the revelations surrounding the characters in Ghostland, as the film is also known, are cleverly revealed, but not as impactful. Ultimately the film’s purpose is to shock and entertain.

The best aspect of the film is its narrative structure which plays with timeframes and keeps the audience guessing.

It’s also anchored by excellent performances all round from five actresses totally committed to the raw, physical approach of Laugnier’s film-making.

The film starts with a single mother, Pauline, played by Marlene Farner, returning to her rambling family home following her mother’s death.

Pauline is accompanied by her teenage daughters Beth (Emilia Jones) and Vera (Taylor Hickson).

Within minutes, the nightmare starts when their home is invaded by two fiendish, dark characters intent on causing maximum terror.

In a chilling and exciting extended sequence the ultra-violence is racheted to 11 and includes an equally ferocious fightback by Pauline in defence of her daughters.

The film eventually moves forward several years to an adult Beth, played by Crystal Reed, who is now married and a popular author.

Beth recieves an hysterical phone call from Vera, now played by Anastasia Phillips, which causes her to return to the family home and confront the enduring impacts of the past horrific events.

These moments of sudden revelation are generally well handled by Laugnier. Sometimes the transition is a little clunky and the film overall feels like it would have benefited from more time in the editing suite.

But there is no denying the power and tension that Laugnier’s disturbing visions bring to the screen.

As stated previously, I would have prefered Laugnier brought more understanding of the attackers’ motivations rather than pure brutality.

For horror fans though, this is still a cut above.