“How far would you go for revenge….and is it worth it?”

In the early 2000’s when torture, gore and rape revenge movies were growing in popularity, a new wave of horror decided to throw itself in the mix.  It would eventually come to be known and the “French wave of horror.”  Several have been released, and the one that seems to stand out the most is 2008’s controversial and violent shocker Martyrs.  Written and directed by Pascal Laugier (The Tall Man, House of Voices) it has been found on many lists of the most disturbing films ever made.  Extremely violent and depraved, it has been known for many walkouts and some reported faintings at select screenings.

THE PLOT

The film opens with a badly beaten young girl hysterically crying and running from some sort of hell from which she has escaped.  She is later admitted into a youth home for the abused, where she refuses to discuss her traumatizing experience with any of the doctors and appears to only open up to one particular friend.

Fifteen years later, Lucie (Mylene Jampanoi), constantly reliving the nightmare, decides she just can’t take it anymore.  Eventually locating the house from which she escaped, she confronts the family and takes the law into her own hands.  Ultimately she hopes that this will finally rid her of the sort of “creature” that has haunted and attacked her for years.  Sure that she has done the “right thing”, she calls her only friend Anna (Morjana Alaoui) to come and help her.  As she awaits Anna’s arrival, the “creature” attacks her again.  Running outside to escape, she runs into Anna, who consoles her and goes inside to inspect what Lucie has done to the family. When Lucie falls asleep upstairs, Anna starts to try and clean up the mess and the evidence.  As things go from bad to worse, Anna stumbles upon a hidden area beneath the house.  It turns out that there was a motive to Lucie’s childhood trauma.  Now that the terrible secret is revealed, Anna’s nightmarish hell begins!

SHOULD YOU SEE IT?

This really is an excellent piece of cinema.  It’s incredibly acted and really hits the viewer on an emotional level.  It will probably go down as a somewhat cult classic, due to its content and strong following.  I must warn you, though.  It’s very violent and at times really tough to watch.  The French sure can deliver some horror on an extreme level, and they do it well with this one.  Great movie!