20 Most Extreme Horror Films Of All Time
5. Martyrs (2008)
Watching Pascal Laugier's Martyrs is like staring into a blast furnace. The film is a smoldering cell of anger, heat and marvel. It’s difficult to watch head on and downright painful to endure over time. However, it's hard not to be impressed; impressed by its ability to inflict such engineered torment, impressed that the film can survive its own extreme internal pressures.
The film begins with a news flashback to 1971, where a young girl named Lucie has escaped from captivity and notified police. Lucie is in such an emotional state that she is unable to tell the authorities about who was holding her or what really happened. Fast forward fifteen years, Lucie sets out on a bloody quest for revenge against her one time captors. Accompanying her is childhood friend Anna, another who had suffered similar sorts of abuse. Lucie quickly descends, without hope, into madness and her own delusions. Left alone, Anna begins to experience what Lucie did as a young girl.
Martyrs is uncomfortable, disturbing, humourless and quite mean-spirited. It also has some of the most realistic displays of violence ever seen on film. It isn't exactly an enjoyable cinematic experience, however, it is indeed a movie not to be missed.