ghostland film erklärung

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Filmkritik: Ghostland

Mit dem furiosen „Martyrs“ meldete sich der französische Regisseur Pascal Laugier 2008 erstmals in den oberen Gefilden des Horrors, dann wurde es bis 2012 und „The Tall Man“ still. Erst sechs Jahre später kommt mit „Ghostland“ endlich ein neuer Film in die Kinos, bei dem Laugier neben der Regie auch das Drehbuch übernommen hat. Hat sich das lange Warten gelohnt?

In der ersten Dekade des neuen Jahrtausends wurde Frankreich wie aus dem Nichts plötzlich zum Nabel der Horrorfilmwelt. Alexandre Aja eröffnete den Reigen mit „High Tension“ im Jahr 2003, 2007 zogen Alexandre Bustillo und Julien Maury mit dem ebenfalls extrem blutigen „Inside“ nach, bevor Xavier Gens mit „Frontiers“ und Laugier mit Martyrs den Zyklus beendeten. Außer Aja mit seinem Remake von „The Hills have Eyes“ konnte aber keiner der vier einen weiteren Hit landen. Ist Laugier das jetzt gelungen?

Ghostland: Die Handlung

Als Pauline (Mylene Farmer) mit ihren beiden halbwüchsigen Töchtern Beth (Emilia Jones) und Vera (Taylor Hickson) ins von einer verstorbenen Tante geerbten Haus im Nirgendwo der USA zieht, ahnt sie nicht, was auf ihre Familie zukommt. Gleich in der ersten Nacht werden die drei von zwei wahnsinnigen Killern heimgesucht und kommen nur knapp mit dem Leben davon. Doch das hinterlässt bei allen tiefe Spuren.

Ghostland: Harte Kost

Pascal Laugier mag lieber weibliche Protagonisten, das hat er in allen seinen Filmen bewiesen. Und das ist auch hier nicht anders, Männer kommen hier fast ausschließlich als Monster vor. Erneut schickt der Regisseur seine Heldinnen durch einen Alptraum, aus dem es kein Entrinnen zu geben scheint. Aber im Gegensatz zu den Vorgängern, wo der oder die Twists in der Story nicht immer wirklich nachvollziehbar oder glaubwürdig waren, schlägt der Franzose in Ghostland einen sehr guten Haken in der Handlung und läutet damit die zweite Hälfte des Films ein, statt den Twist erst am Ende zu setzen. Zwar muss man im Kinosessel auch diesen Einfall erst einmal verdauen, aber er löst wunderbar das Gefühl auf, dass der Beginn der Geschichte noch ein wichtiges Detail ausgelassen hat. 

Neben der Story gebührt Laugier aber auch Lob für die Ausstattung seines Sets. Fast der gesamte Film spielt in dem fast verwunschen anmutenden, geerbten Haus. Und an den zahlreichen Details dort kann man sich trotz der spannenden Handlung kaum satt sehen. Seltsame Spiegel, alte Puppen und aller möglicher anderer Krimskrams verleihen dem Haus auch ohne grauenhafte Vorgänge bereits eine unangenehme Atmosphäre. Und tauchen den ganzen Film in einen düsteren Märchen-Look.

Ghostland: Tour de Force

In Martyrs belastete Laugier sein Publikum bis an die Grenze des Belastbaren, sodass der Film selbst in Frankreich ursprünglich nur eine Freigabe ab 18 Jahren bekam, was eine Auswertung in normalen Kinos verhindert hätte. Nur durch eine durch eine Ministerin angeordnete zweite Prüfung erhielt der Film eine 16-er Freigabe. In Deutschland bekam er lediglich eine Unbedenklichtkeitserklärung der SPIO/JK , eine 18-er Freigabe durch die FSK hat er erst seit Dezember 2017. So schlimm treibt es Laugier in Ghostland definitiv nicht.

Doch der Grundtenor in den Filmen des Franzosen ist auch hier wiederzufinden – junge Frauen müssen Schreckliches durchleiden. Dabei verzichtete Laugier weitgehend auf billige Jumpscares und lässt lieber seine fiese Stimmung wirken. Zudem erschafft er mit dem Killerduo zwei Gestalten, die auch nach dem Kinobesuch noch unerfreulich im Gedächtnis haften bleiben. Und liefert Szenen, die sich so weit vom US-Horror-Mainstream entfernen, dass sie mit dem typischen Teeniegemetzel kaum Ähnlichkeit aufweisen. 

Wer sich also nur ein wenig wohlig gruseln möchte, für den ist Pascal Laugiers Film möglicherweise nicht das Richtige. Denn Ghostland geht etwas tiefer als der Durchschnittsgrusler und erzeugt in seinen besten Momenten fast greifbare Spannung. Und hat etwas von dem Terrorgefühl, für das die Franzosen im vergangenen Jahrzehnt so bekannt waren.

Im guten Sinn unangenehmer Horrorfilm mit feinem Twist, der ebenso glaubwürdig wie erschreckend ist. Auch wenn Pascal Laugier in Sachen Intensität nicht ganz an seinen Horror-Meilenstein Martyrs herankommt, so bringt er doch erneut ein beeindruckendes Stück Terrorkino auf die Leinwand. Für Freunde härterer Kost absolut sehenswert.

Ghostland startet am 5. April 2018 in den deutschen Kinos.

Ein interessantes Interview mit Regisseur Pascal Laugier finden Sie hier .

z. B. : The Expendables 4 , The Nun 2 , The Equalizer 3

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‘ghostland’: film review.

Simon Stadler's documentary 'Ghostland' examines the culture clash between African Bushmen and Europeans.

By Frank Scheck

Frank Scheck

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What are hunter-gatherers supposed to do when they are no longer allowed to hunt? The question forms the heart of Simon Stadler’s documentary about the Ju / ’hoansi Bushmen of Namibia. Since killing wild game was banned by their country in 1990, the nomadic tribespeople have had to make a living by becoming a living tourist attraction, entertaining and selling trinkets to tourists from Europe and America. At times resembling a more sober, documentary-style version of The Gods Must Be Crazy , Ghostland is an intermittently entertaining but ultimately facile ethnographic portrait.

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The film, currently receiving its U.S. theatrical premiere at NYC’s Film Forum, begins with scenes of the indigenous people interacting with visitors whose white skin prompts the Ju / ’hoansi to refer to them as “ghosts.” Singing, dancing, teaching archery and selling homemade jewelry, the natives prove genial hosts, cannily aware of the financial value of their exoticism to the visitors. Many of them display considerable fluency with the English language.

A trip to a Namibian city provides the opportunity for the filmmaker to document the Bushmen enjoying new experiences, such as marveling at the vast amount of food options at a supermarket and the children enjoying their first experience swimming in a pool. On the bus ride home, they hungrily eye a herd of giraffe, prompting one of them to comment nostalgically, “The young ones have very soft meat!”

But it’s the film’s final segment that provides the most amusingly off-kilter moments. Four members of the tribe are invited to travel to Europe, Germany and Denmark specifically, where they are not surprisingly often amazed by their surroundings.  

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Unfortunately, Ghostland never delves too deeply into its subjects’ thoughts and feelings other than in brief sound bites, with the situations often smacking of contrivance. Lacking narration and failing to provide sufficient context, the film has an unintendedly exploitative feel that leaves a sour aftertaste.

Distributors: Cargo Film & Releasing, Autlook Films Sales Director-producer-director of photography: Simon Stadler Co-director: Catenia Lermer Screenwriters: Simons Stadler , Catenia Lermer Editors: Andre Broecher , Markus Frohnhoefer Composer: Matthias Raue

Not rated, 84 minutes

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Ghostland streaming: where to watch online?

Currently you are able to watch "Ghostland" streaming on Tubi TV for free with ads or buy it as download on Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Redbox, Vudu. It is also possible to rent "Ghostland" on Amazon Video, Vudu, Redbox, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Microsoft Store online

Where does Ghostland rank today? The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

Streaming charts last updated: 9:13:02 PM, 11/11/2023

Ghostland is 3951 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The movie has moved down the charts by -86 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than Copper Mountain but less popular than Landlocked.

A mother of two 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 the daughters reunite at the house, and that is when things get strange . . .

Videos: Trailers, Teasers, Featurettes

Streaming Charts The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

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2018, Horror, 1h 31m

What to know

Critics Consensus

Incident in a Ghost Land may satisfy horror fans in search of a nasty kick, but it's narratively flawed and decidedly not for the squeamish. Read critic reviews

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Ghostland videos, ghostland   photos.

Sixteen years after a traumatic event, a mother and two daughters reunite at the house where it happened, and that's when things get strange.

Genre: Horror

Original Language: English

Director: Pascal Laugier

Producer: Clement Miserez , Jean-Charles Levy , Matthieu Warter , Nicolas Manuel

Writer: Pascal Laugier

Release Date (Theaters): Jun 22, 2018  limited

Release Date (Streaming): Jun 22, 2018

Runtime: 1h 31m

Distributor: Vertical Entertainment

Production Co: 5656 Films, Mars Films, Logical Pictures, Kinology, Inferno Pictures

Cast & Crew

Crystal Reed

Anastasia Phillips

Emilia Jones

Taylor Hickson

Mylène Farmer

Adam Hurtig

Beth's Husband

Alicia Johnston

Ernesto Griffith

Paolo Bryant

Police Officer

Erik Athavale

Ambulance paramedic

Suzanne Pringle

Talk Show Guest

Pascal Laugier

Screenwriter

Clement Miserez

Jean-Charles Levy

Matthieu Warter

Nicolas Manuel

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Prisoners of the Ghostland

A notorious criminal must break an evil curse in order to rescue an abducted girl who has mysteriously disappeared. A notorious criminal must break an evil curse in order to rescue an abducted girl who has mysteriously disappeared. A notorious criminal must break an evil curse in order to rescue an abducted girl who has mysteriously disappeared.

• Aaron Hendry
• Reza Sixo Safai
• Nicolas Cage
• Sofia Boutella
• Nick Cassavetes
• 312 User reviews
• 172 Critic reviews
• 53 Metascore
• See production info at IMDbPro
• 1 nomination

• Sheriff Takato

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• September 17, 2021 (United States)
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• Runtime 1 hour 43 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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