Morjana Alaoui

Mylène Jampanoï

Catherine Bégin

Robert Toupin

Patricia Tulasne

Juliette Gosselin

Xavier Dolan

Jean-Marie Moncelet

Jessie Pham

Erika Scott

Louise Boisvert

Isabelle Chasse

Emilie Miskdijan

Tony Robinow

Anie Pascale

Mike Chute

Gaëlle Cohen

Louis Thevenon

Jean-François Boudreau

Michel Cormier

Patrick Dorval

Mathieu Samaille

Nathalie Moliavko-Visotzky

Jean-Andre Carriere

Marcel Giroux

Bruno Philip

Richard Grandpierre

Pascal Laugier

Sébastien Prangère

Alex Cortés

Stéphane Martin

Frédéric Doniguian

Willie Cortés

Helene Rousse

Jérôme Wiciak

Steven Utt

Claire Nadon

Germain Boulay

Pierre-Simon Lebrun-Chaput

Serge Rouquairol

Yanick Wilisky

Emily Vaillancourt

Daniel Langlois

Donald Tetreault

Simon Trottier

Louisa Schabas

Doris Yoba

Yan Lecomte

Jean-Marc Bellu

Marc-André Brisebois

Mary-Pier Gaudet

Stéphane Lefebvre

Nathalie Girard

Hélèna Laliberté

André Lanthier

Hilary Porter

Alain Bérard

Grégory Loffredo

Benoît Lestang

Adrien Morot

Horror

Drama

Thriller

Martyrs

Wild Bunch

TCB Films

Eskwad

Canada

France

Français

child abuse

suffering

nihilism

degradation

ecstasy

woman martyr

cult

hysteria

helplessness

revenge

torture chamber

mercilessness

torture

cruelty

home invasion

transcendence

decadence

martyr

angst

captivity

abuse

mistreatment

dehumanization

emaciation

new french extremism

incarceration

chloroform

mysticism

abused woman

depravation

blood on body

playful

murderess

lesbian

devastating

mental abuse

romantic

Rated this 5/10 due to large amounts of repeated and gratuitous violence.

Is it worth torturing people to find out if there is life after death?
This movie's answer seems to be "Keep doubting".

Martyrs: Greek for Witness.

Martyrs is written and directed by Pascal Laugier. It stars Morjana Alaoui and Mylene Jampanoi.

The New French Extremity Movement had its bar raised considerably by Pascal Laugier’s brutal but thought provoking horror. It’s a film as uncompromising as it is confrontational, a picture guaranteed to get a response for better or worse. Once viewed it simply will not be forgotten, the images, the twisty narrative thematics and the bloodshed that flows consistently throughout the story, Laugier and his two brilliant lead actresses assault the senses, magnificently so.

Story is unfurled as a three tiered structure, each one devastating, but it’s with the final third where the picture goes up through the stratosphere, stopping briefly at the café weird just to further tickle our craniums. Some of the violence here is tough to watch, and it’s no surprise to find it was met with the inevitable charges of misogyny. Yet the culmination of it all puts some perspective on the violence witnessed, leading to a strangely profound and moving climax.

The less you know about it going in for the first time the better. A strong stomach is required, as is an open mind, if you have these things then awaiting you is a visceral masterwork, one of the finest horror film’s to have ever come out of France. Yes, it’s that astonishing. 10/10

Repo Jack

I wrote this once to describe my philosophy on what movies/TV I like: 

"Ravenous fan of dark, edgy movies & TV. They should glue you to the screen and stay in your dreams."

Martyrs is one of a handful that describes that perspective to the T, and it is the kind of horror movie that you should go in completely clueless about the plot to enjoy the many twists that you won't see coming. 

A big caveat: this is "advanced" horror -- gut-wrenching, gory and very disturbing. Definitely not for everybody.

64/100

Martyrs delivers an intriguing and original concept but doesn't quite reach its full potential. It borrows a page from Terrifier's playbook by dispatching the superior actress early which leaves a noticeable performance void. The third act hits a bit of a lull, but rebounds with a gripping and shocking climax that's sure to leave an impression. While it may not fully flesh out (no pun intended) its premise, Martyrs is worth a watch for horror fans looking for a unique and unsettling experience.

Martyrs( 2008)

They haven't finished being alive.

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A review by CipE

Written by CipE on Sun Feb 23 2014

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