French horror has been pushing the boundaries for some time now. High Tension (2003), Sheitan (2006) or Inside (2007), and newest in line is Martyrs (2008), hyped up to take it all a little further. And it did just that! It’s just that it doesn’t belong in the same list as the films mentioned before. Martyrs goes above and beyond. In terms of storyline, the less you know about Martyrs the better, because it unravels in a way that keeps the guessing game going til the final curtain. What’s worth knowing is that after being tortured, Lucie escapes and takes up refuge in a children’s home where she befriends another troubled girl, Anna, who Lucie relies on for protection.

Those expecting another fun, bloody, gory, insane horror flick (Hostel 2, The Hills Have Eyes 2, and Wrong Turn 2) can just give up, because Martyrs isn’t like that. It’s more like a hammer to the head! The first half of the film keeps balancing on borderline horror, keeping its crude and dark exterior, but never crossing any boundaries. A Grudge-like ghost is added to the film, but (Director) Pascal Laugier stays close to the drama and never allows the film to become a mere horror flick. Things take a turn for the worse around halfway through, where the torture theme of the film is given even more power as Anna, Lucie’s guardian, discovers the truth about the torture/kidnap story of the past.

From that moment on, the film becomes really uncomfortable to watch and crosses over to the realm of Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. We are witness of cold and painful torture scenes, driven to very unpleasant extremes nearing the end. The film follows the methods of the people who torture, which are based on repetition and endurance, making it all the harder to sit through.

Visually, the film is well shot, bleak and dark, adding a unclean feeling to what we are witnessing. The make-up deserves praise, same as the leading ladies who play their parts with conviction and depth. Don’t watch Martyrs to get a little horror kick, or to indulge in silly gore fests. This film will not deliver the fun thrills of regular horror movies, on the contrary. It’s a bleak, depressive but all the more impressive look in the darker depths of the human condition, it will leave you cringing in your seat and it will make you want to look away. And it does so without ever numbing you down. Refrain from taking toilet breaks and ride this bad boy from start to finish, it’s unlikely you’ll want to watch it again anytime soon!

Written by ‘Los Skullptor’ © Copyright 2009 Fright Sniper Entertainment, All Rights Reserved.