Martyrs is one of the creepiest, violent, and disturbing movies I've seen in a good while. It may just be that it plays on several fears of mine, but I found Martyrs to be one of the hardest movies for me to sit through. I think one of the most important aspects of the movie is it's abundance of violence and gore. Obviously it's not the only thing that makes the movie terrifying, but seeing such realistic depictions of cutting, beating, and mutilation really leave one hell of an impact. The plot of Martyrs may not be the best, but the way it's told is enough that while watching the movie, it feels like a much better story than if someone were to sit down and explain it. More than half the movie has no dialogue whatsoever for up to 10 minutes at a time, which allows the viewer to interpret most of it however they want. I can't really comment on the acting as it's a foreign film, but I can say that the music and sound design are absolutely perfect even if some of the cinematography leaves something to be desired at times. Fans of horror are probably going to enjoy Martyrs, but I would have a really hard time recommending it to anyone outside of that demographic.

I have nothing more to add to this ... film. Cruelty with an interesting plot makes the film interesting, but cruelty with a strange or stupid plot - giglet.

I am a fan of stupid movies, but problem starts when you read and hear that this crap is called artistic...really?for god sake no plot, no character development, not disturbing,not frightening,nothing...this movie is at most optimistic view, like the worst BDSM porn ever, nt a movie, you can dishonor the title of movie by this moving pictures.The writer,if it has any, and director tries to be difffernet, BUT IT EVEN MAKES IT MORE NONSENSE. not even worth to see just in order to say you see one of the worst movies ever, cause the set, music and sometimes actings are in the level of a middle class movie.so you have something between worst and middle which means a total waste of time...I am sorry for those who rate it high,they have not seen much movie I guess.

Martyrs is undoubtedly a well-made film. The acting is poignant, honest, and grounded and sucks you right into the screen. The practical effects and use of sound are visceral and nail- biting. Through the lens we see a world that is very refined, elegant, affluent, modern, enriched in the most modern luxuries. The best way I would describe this world is an ice cold chandelier. That's not to say that it's an emotionally nihilistic world similar to what we see in The Shining, because the film is shown through the eyes of the 2 female leads Anna and Lucie: highly sensitive, emotional human beings that you invest in from the beginning, and that is what makes this film so challenging to sit through.Every act of violence is displayed and shown is horrendously ugly. If you are looking for a campy trip to the splatterhouse like Peter Jackson's Dead Alive, then turn away from Martyrs and run in the other direction. It hurts to watch, and it's sad to watch, it makes you sick. If The Exorcist is the scariest movie of all time, then this is the most disheartening movie of all time. I do know that Pascal is not a sadist because he would not be filming from this approach, which I had to learn over time. A sadist's version of the same film would not emotionally involve you, but because it is seen mostly through the eyes of Anna, a very caring and selfless young woman, every moment of battery is seen as it should be: cruel, ugly and terrible. Like Funny Games, It's not a film I would dare watch again; I would honestly rather get a hard elbow jab in the stomach as it would be more palatable. I don't recommend anybody to see it as I would advise anyone else to do. Even planting the idea of talking about it to people that are unaware of Martyrs is kind of irresponsible in my opinion. The one plus side is that if you were saddened, revolted, etc. then you have a heart, and that's a terrific quality.