Another classic example of the new wave of French extreme horror to have emerged since 2000 is the dark and disturbing Martyrs - here, violent torture reaches new heights of excess rarely seen in cinema, culminating in a scene which reaches the heights of "pure cinema". What separates Martyrs from the overcrowded horror subgenre of "torture porn" is the metaphysical subtext - the torture here is not carried out for the sadistic pleasure of the torturer, but rather as a method of achieving spiritual transcendence. An American low budget remake has been on the cards for a while - whether or not it captures the essence of the original remains to be seen.
