Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Incident in a Ghostland Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 25, 2019

There’s a really interesting “twist” of sorts, along with a generous supply of rather ably handled misdirection, at play in Incident in a Ghostland, a film which evidently sheared itself of the Incident in a part of its title for some of its theatrical exhibition. That genuinely artful structural artifice may in turn lead some to wonder why, then, writer and director Pascal Laugier felt the need to go to near torture porn levels in documenting traumas inflicted on two hapless sisters caught in the maelstrom of a home invasion attack. Those who have seen Laugier’s previous film Martyrs may know that this particular writer-director doesn’t mind wallowing in some of the baser instincts of both Man (speaking species wide) and men (meaning gender). And in fact Incident in a Ghostland revisits at least some of the same plot dynamics as Martyrs , as a supposedly long ago attack continues to create ripples of dysfunction into the present. Except — there’s actually something quite different “actually” going on in this film, something that is inherently disturbing in and of itself and which arguably didn’t need any “additions” of badly pummeled young women added to the mix.

The film begins with a tip o’ the hat (and/or tentacle) to H.P. Lovecraft, and Lovecraft himself supposedly shows up later in the film, all of which would be fine — if Incident in a Ghostland were even remotely “Lovecraftian” (and I’m already on record as being perfectly aware of how nebulous that descriptor can be). Beth (played by Emilia Jones and Crystal Reed at different ages) is a young writer obsessed with Lovecraft, reading a story she has written to her mother Pauline (Mylene Farmer) and sister Vera (Anastasia Phillips and Taylor Hickson, again age related) as they drive to a new home Pauline has inherited.

Tragedy strikes almost instantly when the trio is viciously attacked by a gonzo gang of home invasion marauders, but the film elides at least some of the horror (initially, anyway) by segueing to a sudden new “present” where the attack is a long ago, if still troubling, memory, which all three women managed to survive. There are frightening memories, however, and perhaps something more sinister, as Beth, now a successful novelist, goes back home, where kind of incredibly Pauline and Vera are still living despite the traumas that occurred there previously.

Suffice it to say that Laugier is toying with his audience kind of like a cat toys with a rat, or perhaps a Fat Man (Rob Archer) toys with horrified young girls, and all is not as it seems, or at least as it's being presented. There's a really interesting film buried beneath the latex and lacerations that afflict the faces of the two focal female characters, but you have to look past the near torture porn aspects to get to it.

Incident in a Ghostland Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Incident in a Ghostland is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1. Arrow's insert booklet provides only the following generic information about the transfer:

Incident in a Ghostland is presented in the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 [sic] with 5.1 and Stereo sound. The HD master was supplied by the filmmakers.

I haven't been able to track down any authoritative information on what cameras were used, and even the long making of piece included on this disc as a supplement didn't show any logos that I could spot, but this is a nice digital capture that I'm assuming was finished at a 2K DI. For a film that is swathed in so much intentional darkness, detail levels are often surprisingly high, something that may provoke squirms in some once the injuries to two of the characters are really revealed. The palette isn't especially vivid here, also I'm presuming by design, and as such a lot of the film actually can look slightly desaturated at times. There's a very slight sepia tone that is noticeable at recurrent junctures that adds an almost weirdly nostalgic look to things.

Incident in a Ghostland Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Incident in a Ghostland does occasionally traffic in hoary tropes like rumbling LFE intertwined with jump cuts to provoke startle reactions, but the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track actually attains a lot of its effectiveness due to some good placement of more subtle, if still spooky, sound effects. The film's kind of melancholic score also spreads through the side and rear channels winningly. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, with no problems whatsoever.

Incident in a Ghostland Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Phantom Image: The Making of Incident in a Ghostland (HD; 1:13:05) is an interesting in-depth look at the shoot, with some above average interviews and lots of candid footage.


• Point of View on Terror (HD; 15:02) is an interview with Pascal Laugier.


• At the Heart of the Film's Music (HD; 26:13) is an interesting piece with Laugier and the film's composing team.


• Cast and Crew Interviews

  Crystal Reed (HD; 9:06)

  Emilia Jones (HD; 9:03)

  Pascal Laugier (HD; 9:37)

• Trailer (HD; 1:29)

As usual, Arrow has also provided a nicely appointed insert booklet.

Incident in a Ghostland Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are a number of lapses of logic in Incident in a Ghostland that don't really stand up to much scrutiny (without posting an outright spoiler, who exactly was paying the utility bills on the inherited house all this time?). But the central premise of the film is actually rather riveting, and it's certainly disturbing enough on its own without the need for endless scenes of women getting the crap kicked out of them. Technical merits are solid for those considering a purchase.