Martyrs

#31 of Top 100 Best Horror Films Martyrs is one of the best horror films I've ever seen - best, in the sense that it is, in fact, horrid to watch. I couldn't keep my eyes on the screen at all times, and this is not even for the scenes of violence, rather for the close up and lingering shots of the wrecked and bloodied faces and bodies of the tortured women. Best, also in the sense that the violence is not utterly purposeless, nor shoved in your face for shock value. Something that puts Martyrs apart and on top of most horror films is that here, there is no villain. We, as an audience, have no one to condemn. We're forced to stomach and watch these women suffer on screen and we can't fully place the blame on anyone in particular. We don't get that satisfaction as we see the bad guy suffering and dying a slow, painful death. No, this movie doesn't give us that. It's one of the best out there, because the jump scares, if we can even call them that, are legitimately jump-worthy. The camera relentlessly forces you to stare and look at the disfigured and horrifying face till you can't take any more and I think this is done, effectively if I may add, because you HAVE to see this in Lucie's eyes, you have to feel what she's going through - that something this... This ugly and terrifying is constantly following you and causing you pain and the only escape you could hope for is death. Lastly, the vague ending-- What did Anna really see? What did she tell Mademoiselle? I have read probably a handful of different interpretations and up until this day, I don't have my definite answer. Martyrs is obviously not for everyone, I could count in one hand the number of people I know irl who I've recommended this to, but the point of the matter is, whether you liked this movie or not, it's an experience you will never forget.