10 Hardest To Watch Horror Movie Moments
3. The Belfond Massacre - Martyrs
Unlike some of the other movies on this list, there is a point to the horrific moments of Martyrs, with Pascal Laugier exploring themes of abuse, revenge and pushing the human to its absolute limits. Still, Martyrs is a film that is overflowing with troubling scenes of extremely graphic nature.
Highlighting one scene here is a tough ask, for there's an opening scene detailing the torture of a young girl, there's the clinical act of revenge that follows years later, there's the discovery of an underground society, and there's eventually the skinning alive of central protagonist Anna (Morjana Alaoui).
The flaying of Anna as part of this society's quest to discover the true euphoria of pushing the human body to its limits is undoubtedly brutal, yet we only technically see the aftermath of that play out, rather than the act itself.
If forced to single out one moment of Martyrs, it's the early sequence where Lucie (Mylène Jampanoï) turns up at the door of the Belfond family. What makes this such a tough watch is that the family are set up as the would-be protagonists of the piece, casually making chit-chat while having their breakfast.
Then, a knock at the door sees Lucie kill each and every member of the Belfond clan with a shotgun, as it's detailed how Belfond matriarch Gabrielle had abused her all those years ago.