10 Disturbing Movies You'll Struggle To Finish
5. Martyrs
The psychological horror film Martyrs, like Irreversible, is widely considered to be among the most notable releases which fell under the orbit of the New French Extremity movement (a term coined by critic James Quandt). Also like Noe's movie, Martyrs is a film which divided audiences and critics alike and, when it came to horror, separated the men from the boys.
On the surface Martyrs is just another torture porn film to add to the long list which includes the likes of the Saw and Hostel franchises. It certainly features a quota of violence high enough to put it up there with the worst excesses of grindhouse shlock or exploitation movies, even if its finale takes things several steps further than most of its competitors.
But what sets Martyrs apart from countless other B-movie horror films is its commitment to a sincere treatment of the pitch black subject matter, taking the nihilistic core of its premise to the extreme conclusion. This is a film which is shot with the sensibility of an art house movie, lending the horror a degree of class which only serves to heighten the awful violence depicted.