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Martyrs (2008) - Pascal Laugier



Martyrs is an Ultra-Violent revenge horror film from France that really pushes the ultra-violent edge and leaves you cringing in your seat. It asks the question what is beyond our realm of existence? What happens to us after we die? 

The word torture porn gets thrown around a lot in horror these days. Case in point Saw and Hostel. Those movies have an excessive amount of gore and the storyline works right along with it. This movie is all about torture, all the way through. Our main character is tortured the entire film, even when she isn't physically tortured her emotions are toyed with. 



Our main character gets dragged into a place that she didn't want to be in, all for being "The Good-Guy". Classic tale of wrong place at the wrong time, only this time the emotion is much more. The story revolves around an evil corporation or cult of old people that are looking to answer some questions about their own mortality. They find these young women and put them through rigorous tests. All the while looking for the perfect vessel between our world and the "next" one. 


The pacing in this movie comes into question. The revenge storyline in the first half of the movie is really solid. It plays out pretty nicely even though there are moments that you yell directions at the screen. The second half that deals with the cult and the hostel-ish corporation is really boring and kind of tiresome. It is just a girl being beat to shit and tortured for a solid thirty minuets. It isn't horrible its just boring. 

I hear that they are remaking this movie (10-30-2012) for the English audience. I am expecting something like the English version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I will check out the remake even though it will most likely be ruined. If this movie is a 6 on my rating meter, then the remake will be about a 4.5 or even a 4. Let's hope they do a good job. 

Martyrs are exceptional people. They survive pain, they survive total deprivation. They bear all the sins of the earth. They give themselves up. They transcend themselves... they are transfigured. 

Director: Pascal Laugier
Country: Canada

Did ya know...
In Pascal Laugier's previous film House of Voices, the main character is called Anna Jurin. In Martyrs, Anna is one of the female leads' character names, whilst Lucie Jurin is the other. As the mother is kicked into the pit, a body flinches to brace itself for the impact of the mother falling on him.


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