Ghostland

Not exactly scary, but 'Ghostland' certainly does reach some dark levels to produce a creepy and uncomfortable horror film.

It starts off pretty cliché but it quickly finds its own footing. I enjoy the way the storyline is portrayed, it never gets predictable which is always a positive in this genre. Most of the scares are the cheap, cop-out type, which stops the film being frightening. However, it makes up for it by creating tense, uneasy scenarios for the characters.

Crystal Reed and Emilia Jones produce what's necessary in the lead role of Beth, those two do rather carry proceedings but the other members of the (small) cast aren't a hindrance in any way; the premise focuses on Beth, so you'd expect Reed and Jones to stand out most.

I was locked in for it all, despite the fact I would've liked improved scare elements as opposed to average jump scares. Still, definitely worth watching.

Wow, wow, wow! I've been a horror fan for many years and many people ask me why since the genre is saturated with mediocre and flat out crap films, but I always say that I love it because when you find a good horror it's a true gem better than any other movie you'll find in any other genre and that's exactly what 'Ghostland' is - a freakin' gem!

I went into it completely blind (which I would recommend everyone to do) and based on the title and cover, I expected a typical mediocre haunted house horror, but I was proved wrong. The eerie tone that's immediately present in the opening scenes grabbed my attention and pulled me in, and it wastes no time in jumping straight into the nitty gritty. I was practically glued to my screen from beginning to end.

The acting is fantastic, the story is well-crafted and it ticks every box you could ask for from a horror. It incorporates psychological horror with sheer brutality and the result is harrowing. It takes A LOT to get under my skin and since I've seen so many horrors I'm rather desensitised, but 'Ghostland' deeply effected me. There were so many moments where I physically couldn't bear to watch, but couldn't bring myself to look away because I was so engrossed. Once again, due to the amount of horror movies I've watched over the years I find that I'm generally able to figure out the plot within the first quarter of the movie, but 'Ghostland' has so many twists and turns that you never know what's going to happen next. What you think the story is at the beginning, is very far from what it becomes and that unpredictably is what makes it so fantastic.

Although there's a lot of violence (similar to that featured in movies like 'The Hostel'), the movie isn't just built upon mindless violence, but a very intense and relentless insight into the human psyche. The psychological aspect of this movie is definitely what gives it its edge and it really got into my head. After the end credits came on, myself and my family were all saying how much it had effected us and even half an hour later, it was still at the forefront of our minds (in fact, I'm pretty sure most of us won't be having the most restful night's sleep tonight!)

'Ghostland' is the best horror I've seen in many years and I would recommend it to every horror fan, particularly those that are fans of psychological horror. Be prepared though, this movie is a tough ride and will put you through the ringer. It's one I certainly won't forget any time soon.

Martyrs blew me away. The Tall Man didn't. So what did I think of director Pascal Laugier's latest effort? I loved t! Very impressed. It starts off with a family, an ice cream van and an incredibly creepy house. Looked to me like it could be a Rob Zombie movie, and funnily enough within minutes one of the characters remarks that the house looks like it could belong to Mr Z! Now I am a fan of Rob Z but Incident was more polished than any of his movies. If found Incident to be visually superb, the creepy house in question, crammed with dolls, is amazing. The film is genuinely frightening with some good jump scares. It's brutal, twisted and dark. There are some great twists and the plot never slows down, it held my attention throughout. Camera work, musical score and acting are all excellent. The only two things that I didn't like was the use of some CGI and, without giving away spoilers, I felt that the end was a bit too easy and slightly unsatisfying. After such a thrilling ride I felt that it could have been better. Overall, another class effort from Monsieur Laugier. I shall look forward to watching this again, best film that I have seen so far this year.

Pascal Laugier is without a doubt a capable writer/director. After all, he is the man behind "Martyrs", a great horrror that leaves no one cold. Ghostland, however, has good direction, photography and fast pace right from the start but the dialogue could have been better and all the jump scares somehow fail to have the desirable effect. If you are used to horror like the aforementioned "Martyrs" or "A l'interieur", "Ils" and "Eden Lake", you will probably feel nothing despite all the violence and terror that the main characters go through. The twist in the story is not bad but could still be more developed in my opinion. The cast deliver nice performances and all the make-up effects are good too. As mentioned in the title, the film feels a bit underdeveloped; it is not terrible but it is not that good either.

It feels. It really does.

The movie is divided into two big sections, pre-twist and post-twist. If you are not new to the horror genre you will catch the "twist" pretty fast, but the movie doesn't emphasize on it a whole lot. Rather works with it and does its job well indeed. At first I felt like, come on, "I've seen this already, you can't surprise me with this". But then...

It is very atmospheric, it's brutal, it's hopeless, but what caught me is one emotional moment with the sisters, you will know it when you see it. It's unforgettable.

It has it's flaws but is well crafted overall. This movie was able to share it's emotion with me and I enjoyed it.