Review of Martyrs (2008) by Shane D — 11 Jan 2010

This was a tough one. I went into it knowing nothing about it other than the fact that there was a debate as to whether or not it was torture porn (a phrase I'm not too fond of), and I have to say, I don't think it was.

For me, the term "Torture Porn" refers to movies with boring character being killed in boringly graphic ways (Saw, Hostel etc.). This movie, however, I felt for the main character. Here's a woman who formed a childhood bond with a person who had suffered an extremely horrific experience, and who tries to help her in any way that she can, including hunting down the people responsible for the horrible experience that her friend was forced to endure.

Her friend, plagued by visions of a hideously tortured woman who she left behind after escaping her captors, then proceeds to massacre an entire family, claiming they're the ones responsible. I don't want to give away too much, but let's just say that her suspicions are horrendously confirmed.

I can see the argument from both sides, even I had a hard time watching some of the stuff that happened on screen, but, to me, that's just proof of the effectiveness of this movie. If you don't agree, believe me, I understand, but, in my humble opinion, there seems to be something more to this than just torture.

Too few horror films are willing to stick it in and break it off the way this movie does. I doubt I'll be watching it again anytime soon, it's definitely not the type of movie you watch for a good time.

It was made to provoke, and in that context it was an obvious success.