Martyrs

So here’s the thing, when people tell me that a horror film is completely brutal and the gore is so extreme it’s going to make me sick, I brush them off, because well, it’s usually not true. But with Martyrs – well. Yeah. They were right.

Normally when I’m watching a horror movie, I’m clapping and laughing with glee about blood sprays, innovative killing techniques, and whether or not the villain is gonna get it. None of those things happened during Martyrs. The best way I can describe it to you is that watching this movie is like being punched in the gut repeatedly. It is relentless, and never stops to let you take a breath. 

Mild Spoilers:
Forget any comparisons you’ve heard about this and Hostel. There are some elements that sort of loosely tie the two together, but Martyrs is like Eli Roth on acid. Basically this movie focuses on two close female friends: Lucie, who escaped from a subterranean torture chamber when she was a child (which left her all kinds of messed up, duh), and Anna, who’s so in love with Lucie she’ll do anything for her.

Once Lucie tracks down her captors, the blood starts flying and all kinds of crazy shit starts happening. I wasn’t even sure what I was looking at half the time. There are some completely WRONG things going on in this film, which of course meant that I dug it.

My only complaint was that I thought the torture sequence could have been cut down a bit. I don’t really need to watch a guy beating the victim over and over and over and over. I GET IT. You’re trying to break her. But overall, this is a really solid piece of terror.

Just a note: It might be just a little too much for some people, so I can only recommend it for extreme horror fans, people who don’t easily vomit, and those that can handle a lot of violence and splatter. (PS: the trailer for this totally gives away some of the best parts, so try to avoid it if you can before watching.)