Ghostland

Ghostland (released in some regions as *Incident in a Ghostland*) is a 2018 horror film from writer-director Pascal Laugier. The movie, a Canadian-French co-production, premiered in competition at the Festival international du film fantastique de Gérardmer, where it took home three prizes, including the Grand Prize.

The story follows Pauline and her daughters, 11-year-old Vera and teenage Beth, who inherit a secluded home from a recently deceased aunt. While settling in, Beth reads about a series of home invasions where parents are killed but daughters survive. Unbeknownst to them, a candy truck driver and a large, mentally impaired man are stalking them. The intruders break in, assaulting the family: Vera is raped by the man, and Beth is confronted by the woman, who says they just want to "play with dolls." Pauline is killed by the Candy Truck Woman during the initial attack.

Sixteen years later, Beth is a successful horror author living in Chicago with her husband and son. After promoting her novel based on that night, she gets a frantic call from Vera, who still lives with Pauline at the old house. Pauline claims Vera suffers from delusions and has locked herself in a padded basement room. Beth experiences strange dreams, and Vera insists their tormentors are still hunting them. During one episode, Beth finds Vera chained and made up like a doll. After falling asleep, Beth is captured by the Candy Truck Woman, waking with bruises. It is then revealed that the Candy Truck Woman actually killed Pauline that night—Beth and Vera are still children, and Beth’s adult life was a hallucination.

The Candy Truck Woman dresses Beth as a doll and leaves her with the Fat Man, who molests and breaks dolls. Beth fights back, frees Vera, and they escape to a road. Two state troopers help them but are gunned down by the Candy Truck Woman, who recaptures the girls. Beth retreats into her fantasy, meeting H.P. Lovecraft at a party, but decides to return to reality to rescue Vera. She confronts the Candy Truck Woman, and a state trooper kills both intruders. As Beth and Vera are taken to a hospital, Beth sees a vision of her mother waving from the house.