It’s been a while since I rolled the dice & took a gamble on a film that I’ve never heard of before. Typically, it doesn’t pan out. This is one of those rare occasions where it actually did! Ghostland is worthy of a viewing.

Depending on what country you are seeing this film in,”Ghostland” or “Incident in a Ghost Land,” is a 2018 psychological horror film. “The story follows a mother of two who inherits a home from her aunt. On the first night in the new home, she is confronted with murderous intruders and fights for her daughters’ lives. Sixteen years later when the daughters reunite at the house, things get really strange” (IMDB)

I know what you might be thinking. Yes, home intruder movies are a bit tired. There’s only so much you can do with them. Luckily, this one is a bit different. It dives deeper into the psychological aspect of what a person might go through if they endured such a traumatic experience.

The violence can be brutal. While not frequent, the film does have some weird & disturbing moments too. However, it doesn’t feel thrown in to shock you without a purpose. It’s used to emphasize how fucked up the situation is. You can’t understand how these characters are mentally fractured without depicting some of it.

The film does contain a twist that some might think is revealed too soon. Personally, I disagree. This particular twist is revealed right when you start to suspect something is amiss. Most psychological movies don’t do that. Even when it’s obvious, the twist is usually at the end. That can be annoying. This movie feels like it knows when the jig is up. It knows you’re about to figure it out. Rather than pressing on with what you already suspect, it reveals itself. Don’t interpret that as a way of me saying the film starts to gets dull. I assure you, it doesn’t!  For the remainder of the film, you deal with the intense fallout of that revelation.

Ghostland isn’t your typical home invasion film. It deserves more credit than that. While it’s certainly not for everyone, I recommend it.

Score: 7/10

Pros

+ It’s twist doesn’t string you along & try to conceal what you already suspect

+ The balance of psychological and horror is very balanced

Cons

– Some people might not like when the twist is revealed

– I still have many questions about the invaders themselves

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Categories: Anything involving Hollywood & TV

Tags: 2018 Psychological horror, Adam Mallett, ghostland, incident in a ghostland, movie review ghostland, whirlwindreports.com