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I've noticed this movie being mentioned in the 'Upcoming French Horror' thread, but I feel it deserves one for itself.

Picked this up for a bargain at the local dvd-store, expecting a movie just a bit more brutal and provoking compared to what most horrormovies bring lately, but how tough can it really get?
I should have remembered how I thought the same about Irreversible.

This is a movie with a harsh beginning, and unfolds to be more and more disturbing along the way, even to the point where I almost turned it off, but just hanging on with a bruised conscience to see the end, because of weary but tickled curiosity.

Martyrs is a movie with massive impact, it's like walking away from a crash, you could be feeling impressed, damaged or sickened by it, or all at the same time.

It's definitely a film that is strong on your emotions, I remember feeling so incredibly sad and angry when Lucie killed herself , and this scene stayed with me for days after. I've talked more about it in a number of topics, lately one of the DVD topics, someone excusing it of extreme misogyny, I didn't get that feeling in the film at all.

It's a beautifully shot film and an incredibly well made Horror film with some stunning acting.

A critic came up with a new 'sub genre' name, though he used it in a negative way, that I think is a fantastic name for these kinds of films, New French Extremism/Extremity. Not just Horror, but other films out of France like A Ma Souer!, and so on. I like it, even though the director of Martyrs apparently doesn't lol.

Mods - delete this post please.

Wasted an hour and a half of my life watching this crap that I'll never get back and if I ever see the director on the street I'll break his nose.

Its disturbing on all the wrong levels. It went a bit too far. There is no way it would, could, or should ever happen.

This is from another forum I post on that I posted - "I'll be honest and say that (like everybody probably) I'm s**t scared of death and didn't really need to see a movie like this."

Its all about mankind and not knowing what comes after death. I think about death pretty much everyday (like my parents passing away one day) and how I'm going to feel when the time comes. I hate not knowing if there is a heaven or not.

I did like 2 things though - the score fit the tone of the film and that tortured woman with that metal thing on her face scared the shit out of me.

Entertaining film. My only main problem was the extensiveness of the torture scenes. Quality over quantity. It's better at times if the audience see's less, and assumes the worse for the individual being tortured. Adds a stronger effect.

Anyway, I had no prior knowledge to what the film was going to be about.

as deathbycorn said, there is no way it would, could or should ever happen, but that's what I liked about the film.

Something so unnatural in the sense of torturing for a greater purpose, yet in such a realistic manner.

The ending was thought provoking, and made you really think about what Anna said at the end to Mademoiselle.

So technically, the ending is based on what you perceived.

Saw this about a month ago and I thought it was quite impressive. The way it merged aspects of ghost/gore subgenres was interesting and the realization was very unique and interesting. It's rare to see a horror film these days that actually tries to have a point or to make you think, and this did, and that's worth commending.

Very disturbing and well made.

That's fair enough, but that's your problem(and not the films) then if you think about death every day when it comes to your viewing of this film, but that doesn't mean it's the same for everyone else or wrong to watch as you put it in another topic.

Even if the film showed their interpretation of life after death, it's a piece of fiction, because let's face it, no one really knows what happens once someone has died...




You talk about a film in this way and excuse people of being wrong or horrible for liking this film, yet come out with stuff like this? if a joke, it doesn't come out that way on the screen.




I do as well but then it is a film, and that's the beauty of film, doesn't have to be 100% real life. Doesn't take anything away from the film anyway, and shouldn't be a reason for hating it.

No, it wasn't a joke. I think the bloke is a sick-minded weirdo who needs serious help if he wants to make movies like that.

What I hate about the film is what the girl went through. I know it was apart of the plot but I think its wrong. Bashing a girl for hours on end is wrong. And I can't see how people can say they like movies like that.

Why couldn't it of been a man who went through the torture?

It's more sick to assault someone on the street than it is to make a fictional film, regardless of subject matter.

Originally posted by deathbycorn
No, it wasn't a joke. I think the bloke is a sick-minded weirdo who needs serious help if he wants to make movies like that.

What I hate about the film is what the girl went through. I know it was apart of the plot but I think its wrong. Bashing a girl for hours on end is wrong. And I can't see how people can say they like movies like that.

Why couldn't it of been a man who went through the torture?

facepalm

What is wrong with you?

Originally posted by deathbycorn
No, it wasn't a joke. I think the bloke is a sick-minded weirdo who needs serious help if he wants to make movies like that.

What I hate about the film is what the girl went through. I know it was apart of the plot but I think its wrong. Bashing a girl for hours on end is wrong. And I can't see how people can say they like movies like that.

Why couldn't it of been a man who went through the torture? Women are known for having more dense brains than men, and women have corpus collosum's which transfer information quicker from the left to the right hemisphere of the brain. Therefore, women have more psychological capabilities than men.

Women fitting the position of a martyr makes more sense for the film.

Originally posted by Kris Blaze
facepalm

What is wrong with you? Nothing, his points are valid.

Dr Leg Kick answered one thing perfectly, if I remember right, that horrible woman in the film went through that subject matter briefly. Not in such detail as Dr Leg Kick did.



I still really find it odd you questioning how people can like such a film, but you can sit fine through a film and praise it when it's just as disturbing, for me anyway, where a woman cuts out a baby with scissors... and all the rest of the violence in the French film Inside.

If it was a man in the lead of Martyrs, it would still be wrong to bash them hours on end... male or female, still wrong, so I don't see why you are going in that direction.

Some news on the Hellraiser remake, Pascal Laugier, the director of Martyrs, is no longer directing the remake. I thought if they must remake this classic Horror then he would have been perfect.

Inside is like a study in visceral violence and questions when or if the viewer will look away. I don't think Inside is a disturbing because like you said, it is woman vs woman. If it was a man trying to steal Sarah's baby it would be a completely different story. And Inside like has been said before is based on true events, its an actual scary movie. Why I watch horror movies; to be scared. And I'm sorry but Martyrs wasn't scary. The girl with the metal thing on her face was though.

Yes it would be wrong but it wouldn't border on misogyny.

Frazer Lee should direct Hellraiser.

As I said in another topic, it's LOOSELY based on true events.

The woman on woman is one reason it's more disturbing for me, I find it quite disturbing that a woman could do that sort of thing to another woman. It's rare compared to man on woman violence.

I find there are stronger emotions too when watching it, compared to watching a man do the same thing, I believe it takes a lot more for a woman to attack another woman in such a way and a sadness.


As for Frazer Lee, I've never seen his short films, so couldn't comment.

I'm surprised you're offended by a man beating a woman, but not a man hitting Sara in the belly with a police-baton.

Originally posted by Dr. Leg Kick
Nothing, his points are valid.

baka

Originally posted by Kris Blaze
I'm surprised you're offended by a man beating a woman, but not a man hitting Sara in the belly with a police-baton.



baka That's the face my friend made after watching Martyrs.

I've seen worse than a man beating a woman, I saw a movie where a teenage girl gotten beaten and had worse done to her. Then she died cause she got her lady area blow torched. Was based loosely on something real that happened. After seeing that movie I wasn't impressed by what I'd seen cause I thought it was so wrong, but then so are alot of movies based on real life situations

Yuck. I remember at school in assembly watching our History teacher give a presentation on female genital mutilation. Close to things you mentioned but obviously not in detail.

Really? Sounds more interesting that the assembly's I used to have, I mean seriously...who gives a damn about a geography teachers summer dress other than the teacher themself!

No Geography teachers did an assembly in all my school life, so I didn't have to suffer summer dresses like you, while stuck in uniform...

Yes...the good 'ol days....I remember the only good part was someone wolf whistling at her

We better get back onto topic!

For those interested, if you liked the score music, a few weeks ago the whole score was made avaliable for a legal free download, don't know if it's still up but you should be able to link to it from the official film websites or horror news sites. It's worth having, it's burnt nicely onto CD and now in my collection, yay.

I saw this movie while back, and I cannot recall all the details of it, however, I did find this whole movie profoundly disturbing - nothing to do with torture, but rather the idea behind it.

Try the film The Nameless, from the director of , goes in the same sort of direction of trying to get to ecstasy and so on but the film doesn't contain so much of the violence/gore as Martyrs.

Oo, I was reading one of my film magazines today and it had a Martyrs review in it and it contained some interesting comments on the film for those on here interested, just thought I'd share for those who haven't read the magazine Sight & Sound. Just the stuff I highlighted:

Most Horror films fixate on the body these days, but Martyrs is equally concerned with the suffering of the mind trapped in the bleeding flesh.

The subject of confinement and torture echos several recent real life atrocities(Marc Dutroux, Josef Fritzl and, with its religious extremism, the Mauerova family/'Grail Movement' case).

It does so, however, in a resolutely unexploitative way; sexual abuse is not involved, and the camera observes events without teasing prurience common in the genre.

Though philiosophically more aligned with Ken Russell's Altered States, which strives to visualise a metaphysical state onscreen. And for those who regard the idea of Transfiguration as just so much mumbo jumbo, the film's provocative climax allows for a highly satisfying existential reading too. Martyrs feels closer to Japanese or Italian Horror than to the Hostel/Saw axis, and the frenzied performance of Jampanoi frequently recalls Isabelle Adjani in the most convulsive of Euro Art-Horrors, Andrzej Zulawski's Possession.

His wording of part of the plot:

The sect is obsessed with learning the secrets of the afterlife through the creation of martyrs, individuals pushed to states of transfiguration through extreme suffering. Anna undergoes systematic cruelty and deprivation until she reaches what her captors regard as a state of holy ecstasy.


Sorry if any mistakes, typed it out really fast.


Possession: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082933/

Altered States: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080360/

I don't think anyone cares about Martyrs that much. Just you.

Its very disturbing knowing a girl likes movies like this...

I believe she counts as somebody.

I care, it's an interesting piece she posted.

Deathbycorn - If you are not interested and only have negative things to say, why bother to keep posting in a topic about a film you didn't like...

Because I like stirring you up.

Then that is trolling and against the rules. So stop doing it.

Glad you liked it.

Originally posted by BackFire
Then that is trolling and against the rules. So stop doing it.

You are a troll. Get over it buddy, its the internet. There are no rules.

Originally posted by deathbycorn
You are a troll. Get over it buddy, its the internet. There are no rules.

You must not have seen Backfire's warning. There are rules here, and baiting others in this manner and ignoring moderator warnings are among them. Consider this your official warning, which I'll reiterate in PM's.

Has anyone seen the two films I linked to? I've yet to see either. Possession looks like one that will be brilliant.

Deathbycorn - You're gone.

MP, I haven't seen them either. They do both look very good. More to add to Netflix.

Aww I'll never find out if he enjoyed The Strain............

I've added the films to my rental list too.

You can find out in 7 days when he comes back.

Watched this today. I get the feeling it was the heavily cut version. Not really what I was expecting at all. I never connected with the characters so didn't really give a shit what was happening to Anna.

Clearly a film of 2 halves...the 1st was pacy and gripping and brutal...The 2nd was, for me, boring.

If you got it on DVD from here in Britain, I believe it was passed uncut here.

I'll have to check the DVD edition. I borrowed a copy from a friend so not sure if it was the cut one or not. There wasn't anything shown of the flaying sequence except for her being put on the rack and then the camera pointed at her face as the guy began...It then skipped to her being taken out of the wheelchair and being clamped by the wrists under the hot light

So not sure if that's the cut version or not.

It did show a fair bit of violence in the 1st half

The shotgunning of all 4 family members...The beating with the hammer...And most disturbingly the suicide wrist and throat cutting

I just didn't think it was as emotionally draining as people make it out to be although this is probably due to me having no empathy for Anna or Lucie.


I didn't think it had as much an impact as the fire extinguisher scene or rape scene from irreversible, for example.

I thought the manifestation of her guilt being that horribly disfigured girl was very well done (and the only thing which takes the film into the horror genre) as was the girl Anna found in the basement...Although she had clearly gone through far more torture (minus the flaying) than Anna did

I need to watch it again, but I don't think they went into detail in the scene you mentioned in the first spoiler, just think it concentrated on her face while it was happening for the most part. I think that was a good choice.

I don't...But then i'm a sick and twisted person.