Martyrs (2008) Review (Eureka Masters of Cinema)
Pascal Laugier’s generational masterclass in misery and manipulation has lost none of its devastating power in this stunning restoration of the most punishing psychological horror film ever made.
Profoundly disturbed by the physical embodiment of truly horrific trauma, Lucie (Mylène Jampanoï) coldly butchers a seemingly normal family whom she believes systematically tortured her as a child. Her lover, Anna (Morjana Alaoui), arrives at the house to clean up the wake of Lucie’s delusional appeasement. However, Lucie is further consumed by her raging PTSD and falls even deeper into the depths of paranoia and self-harm. Desperate and alone, the utter nightmare that descends on Anna as a consequence of her allegiance is beyond animalistic. Savagely beaten and mentally destroyed by a callous cult seeking to unearth the secrets of the afterlife through pain-induced transfiguration, Anna will fully understand what tormented Lucie enough to blow shotgun holes in women and children over Sunday breakfast.
Back in 2008, I was fortunate to view this horror powerhouse on a vast screen in Leicester Square with the director in attendance. At that moment, it was a profound experience that compelled me to seek a calming cigarette outside the theatre, as it had taken its toll. Pascal Laugier came over to ask me if his film was “too Much”. In the ensuing exchange, I asked him about the true meaning behind the ending of his grousome epic, and he gave me an almost apologetic hug. I am yet to see a movie have such a profound effect on an audience since then. During the post-screening Q&A, Laugier revealed he had been in the dark quagmire of a severe depression during the making of Martyrs. This candid disclosure is essential for contextualising the film’s abhorrent violence and decoding its seemingly ambiguous ending.
Having been influenced by the torture porn of Eli Roth’s gruelling Hostel, Laugier set out to make his own genre carnage cow. However, in allowing his depressive state to drive the creative process, he unleashed a film so uniquely nihilistic and thematically chilling that it transcended homage and split into an entirely different spectrum of suffering and sedition.
Much has been written about the astronomical levels of violence in Martyrs. It is true to say that the extended torture scenes and casual atrocities will test any viewer’s tolerance. There is a pervading sense of calculated cruelty and deep melevlance enveloping the film that stands the test of time. Yet it is the care, craft, and cinematic literacy with which the film’s deranged narrative is followed to its bitter end that really stand out.
The inherent selfishness of divine faith and the collateral damage sacrificed to corroborate its legitimacy festers at the core of this film like a theistic cancer. The notion that those who are materially rich enough to seek assurance of heavenly perpetuity to the detriment and vile debasement of innocent victims in this material plane is tantamount to philosophical warfare with no caveats.
Martyrs sifts through the trash in this darkest of all alleyways with courage and conviction, and without compassion and compromise. A hate letter to the futility of life and a pertinent warning that our world is open to abuse by religious megalomaniacs, and our mental health is at the mercy of our anxieties and psychological lesions. If you haven’t seen this full-metal-jacket horror movie, this is the definitive release to right the wrong. No amount of digital enhancements could make this film feel anything but a sensory endurance test, but it’s aesthetically pristine, and the revised subtitles are a revelation.
Everything from the in-shoot realised gore effects to the purgatorial abuse of women through theism and how those with money exploit any resource imaginable remains relevant today. What you may not be prepared for is just how paradoxically gorgeous it all looks and how staggeringly moving the suffering of cinematic strangers can be.
★★★★★
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Limited Edition Hardbound Set [4000 copies]
- Dual format edition including both UHD (Region Free) and Blu-ray (Region B)
- Limited edition hardcase featuring new artwork by Nick Charge
- Limited edition 100-page book featuring new cover artwork by Nick Charge and writing on Martyrs by film critic Anton Bitel and horror scholars Reece Goodall, Steve Jones, Mary Going and Laura Mee
- Limited edition fold-out poster featuring new artwork and original poster art
- New 4K restoration by Eureka Entertainment from the original camera negative
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation presented in Dolby Vision HDR (HDR10 compatible)
- Original French audio (5.1 and stereo options)
- Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
- New audio commentary with Nia Edwards-Behi, co-director of Abertoir Horror Film Festival
- Revisiting the Belford House – new interview with lead actor Mylène Jampanoï
- Beauty and Brutality – new interview with New French Extremity expert Alice Haylett Bryan
- Over Her Flayed Body – new video essay on Martyrs and body horror by Xavier Aldana Reyes, author of Contemporary Body Horror
- Organic Chronicles – archival feature-length documentary on the making of Martyrs
- Archival interview with director Pascal Laugier
- Archival interview with special effects designer Benoît Lestang
- Stills Gallery
On Dual 4K UHD and Blu-ray from October 27th / Mylène Jampanoï, Morjana Alaoui, Catherine Bégin, Isabelle Chasse / Dir: Pascal Laugier / Eureka Entertainment / 18
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