Movie GHOSTLAND Review: It's Better Not To Watch If You Have Weak Nerves
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Greetings. It was the boring week for me, so on Friday evening after the whole work week and before the weekend's rest, I suddenly got an idea to tickle my nerves. How? With the horror movie. The repertoire of my favorite cinema did not show any new horror movie, but it is still showing the psychological horror thriller GHOSTLAND. So, there is my new review - movie GHOSTLAND review.
Having created one of the cruelest, most horrific, psychologically affecting horror movie MARTYRS in 2008, French director Pascal Laugier returned to the cinema screen after a long break and introduced another dramatically scary and stressful horror genre project that is shocking no less. It is the first director's work in English.
There can be no doubt that writer and director, Pascal Laugier, knows how to create horror. His screenplays are innovative and he knows exactly how to make your skin crawl.
Credit: heavenofhorror.com
The GHOSTLAND has already managed to win a prize. The international horror and science fiction film festival, which has been taking place since 1994 in the city of Gerardmer, France, this year gave a Grand Prize of the Public to the movie GHOSTLAND.
If you have an idea to invest safely and move to the previously abandoned housing, without the fear to find an old doll, dead insects, or just weird pale wallpapers, all your plans can be suddenly damaged if you watch the horror movie GHOSTLAND...
GHOSTLAND Trailer (2018) Horror Movie - Video credit: NewTrailerBuzz via Youtube.com
The Short Story of the Movie
There are places where you cannot come back!
Pauline with her two daughters decides to move into the house left by her aunt, although it is full of terrible dolls, frozen beetles, and weapons. Even before they go to the house, they get a warning that a serial killer, whose victims became families raising daughters, rampages. But Pauline ignores all signs and settle down in the house. On the first night in the new house, the killers intruded inside, so the mother is forced to fight for her daughter's lives. A nightmare full of blood and terrible moments begins.
The eldest daughter Beth (actor Crystal Reed) is completely enclosed and shy, finding the comfort of life only in the worlds created by her written stories. Beth, inspired by the famous American horror and fantasy writer Howard Phillip Lovecraft, is dreaming to follow his footsteps and become one of the most celebrated authors. When she came to the new home with her mother and sister Vera, she shares with them the first written works. The new place should make Beth's dream come true even more. However, when they arrived at a new home, there happens a tragedy that instantly changes the lives of the teenagers.
Horror Movie GHOSTLAND - Photo credit: epixod.blogspot.com
On the contrary, younger Vera (actress Anastasia Philipps) is much more open-minded and self-confident girl. After this traumatic experience of the night, the girls of different character's distance themselves one from another even more.
Sixteen years later, Beth becomes a famous horror story writer with a great family and life in Chicago, but Vera continues to suffer from horror memories - a girl is ill with paranoia. Unplanned daughters and mom eventually come together in a home where Pauline and Vera have lived so far. And then the horrible abnormal events begin.
Horror Movie GHOSTLAND - Photo credit: lakwatseralovers.blogspot.com
The Content of the Movie
The director Pascal Laugier, after his psychological horror thriller MARTYRS, did not create anything interesting that would shock and surprise the audience. Therefore, having learned that the new work of this director is still showing in our cinemas, I was delighted, because there has not been any great, and high-quality film about excruciation for a long time, which would charm me not only by the sadistic decisions of the movie's creators but also was an original.
This movie is not so primitive as may it looks at first glance. There not only is showed macabre scenes that are terrifying, but the entire psychological storyline is well presented. And the plot, given the genre of horror, really deserves attention. It is so well-organized that many times I was really pleasantly surprised by the very well thought out turns of this story.
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I will not start telling the full story, because believe me, the thought out motions of the director will then lose all the points if I mention at least one important detail of this story. Therefore, I will tell you exactly how this film affects the audience.
- First of all, this is a great psychological game with the watcher's subconsciousness. The violence presented here is not just physical. I think this is the most terrible thing that can happen to a person who does not manage his instincts and morally breaks inside as a person.
- Secondly, the film boasts a wonderfully expressed and fearsome atmosphere that brings it close to the best movies of this genre. It was really embarrassing for me to observe certain scenes where the open torture of the main heroes was shown so uncomfortable.
- Third, the band presents a very interesting portrait of the connection between sisters and their mum and of the monsters who tortured them. You know, I've seen a lot of monstrous creatures in the movies, but those were very perverted and unpredictable. Just looking at them, it was scary. And what about the actions of each of them! In this case, realism was also amazing.
The scene of the Movie GHOSTLAND - Photo credit: thecinememories.com
I listed just a little of what awaits you. It's important that the film itself keeps the tension, and it is not boring. There is no shortage of horror scenes or a well-created act that even enhances the film. Interestingly, this is not an ordinary silly film project that has to attract simply because it has a lot of blood and massacre. It's not really what has determined the quality of this horrible and intelligently created horror movie.
The Technical Side of the Movie
The film director Pascal Laugier filmed films for 15 years, so the band is technically tidy. The camera rarely stands on the spot, everything seems to be well-focused and the structure of individual scenes always has a proper start and finish. The film environment, costumes, and the length of the movie action are very suitable for what the creators wanted to show.
The movie's pace is very fast. You have not much time to reflect on what happened in the previous scene since there was no secondary story without the main one. The movie never stays on the one spot. All the moments were designed to shock an audience with the bloody, and ugly effects.
GHOSTLAND - Photo credit: youtube.com
The atmosphere of the film was created with a help of technical subtleties. Especially great were the works of the film decorations and costumes' masters, who created a truly frightening atmosphere because of the frightening details appearing in the background. The make-up was well-designed for all characters, except when our young main characters were supposed to be disadvantaged and beaten, but they still looked flawless.
A few days after the preview, I still remember all those terrible eyes of the ancient dolls. The greasepaint was also extremely mesmerizing. Looking at the dead bodies of the victims, you may feel bad about a genuine and uncomfortable image.
Movie GHOSTLAND review - Photo credit: dejantesducine.canalblog.com
The sound is good. It was strong, and in the right places, it was heavily reinforced to produce a correspondingly awkward effect. The soundtrack transmitted the tone of the film perfectly, so everything was fine. The atmosphere was sharpened by the musical compositions that the film director created himself. And in terms of the breakthrough of violence, in this case, we should be grateful to none other than the movie's operator, Danny Nowak, who managed at every angle to highlight the most important moments of the film that allowed to frighten our skin.
The Scene of the Horror Movie GHOSTLAND - Photo credit: thecinememories.com
Video editing is also good. Just only because of some scenes with some screwed-up story's turns as those few moments knocked us down and cheated as well. It was really interesting to watch the movie and think what will be going on in the next moment and how the film's creators will be able to surprise us.
The Collective Work of the Actors
It is even a bit hard to evaluate the actors because there were not so many of them in the film. I think the whole show was stolen by the actors Emilia Jones, and Crystal Reed who performed the role of Beth. Both of these actresses embodied the younger and older versions of her character. And they did it very well. Emotions flooded from all sides, which really made it possible to perceive the fragility of the character, and to see its metamorphosis throughout the movie.
GHOSTLAND - Mylene Farmer, Crystal Reed - Photo credit: cinephagemaniac.blogspot.com
Other actors who did not play a major but important role in the film were the famous French actress and singer Mylene Farmer, the fat man played by Rob Archer, and Taylor Hickson with Anastasia Phillips performed the role of the young and older Vera. I have no reproaches to them. Everyone was in their place and allowed to enjoy all this show.
During the filming, a seriously injured actress starts a fight
It is worth mentioning that this horror film also demanded a true blood.
A Canadian actress Taylor Hickson, claims that experienced an injury in the filming of the movie, and it left scars on the face forever. A 20-year-old film star, who was injured in the recent creation of the horror movie GHOSTLAND, filed a lawsuit against Incident Productions, claiming that was injured during the filming, and the scar significantly reduces her chances of getting a job.
Actress Taylor Hickson Sues Over GRUESOME Facial Injury - Video credit: Whatstrending via Youtube.com
Actress Taylor Hickson says that in one scene she was knocking glass doors with fists. Having received an order to hit harder, the actress turned to the producer and asked if it was safe to do so. And he and the director of the film assured that there was no danger at all.
Unfortunately, suddenly the door crashed, and actress Taylor Hickson got injured. During the incident, she severely injured her left side of the face. She was immediately taken to the hospital. Approximately 70 stitches were done into the wound. Subsequently, she got an adequate treatment: laser and silicone treatments.
It’s been mass amounts of insecurity, conflicted, confused, hurt, angry, and sad that this was my last day on set and no precautions were taken. - Taylor Hickson
Credit: deadline.com
Actress Taylor Hickson claims that, in line with the rules of the film industry, filming of such episodes requires the use of safety glass. If it's not possible to take care of it, it should not be an actor but a stuntman. Unfortunately, the producers have obviously failed to ensure the security of the video filming.
The actress seeks the compensation for the damage she has suffered - reduced opportunities for future sources of income and psychological stress, and, moreover, she believes that for her, it has become much harder to get a job since she has a scar - she is, and in reality, now in the horror movie.
ActressTaylor Hickson - Photo credit: noticias24guayana.blogspot.com
On the Final Note
Filled with horrible sound effects, fast scary scenes, and terrible dolls - the horror movie GHOSTLAND makes us ask ourselves, whether our own inner demons define horror in our lives? Or is there really horror stories that exist in fiction books only? According to the director, the new film reflects the previously tried to suppress, much darker side of his imagination.
Emilia Jones and Pascal Laugier Photo credit: ouest-france.fr
Of course, I recommend a movie for genre fans and those who like the sharper movies' stories. And those cinema lovers who have weak nerves, do not go better. Enjoy your health. Still, there are a lot of unpleasant moments in the movie that can really affect your psyche.
The GHOSTLAND is a great psychological horror thriller of non-standard character. It is also perfect in its macabre scenes. The French director Pascal Laugier gives a unique opportunity to see the overly realistic nightmare of a young girl who loves Lovecraft's work.
Have a fun watching!
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