30 Days of Horror | Day 9

A Movie That You Like To Introduce To People

Martyrs

Being such a divisive genre, I rarely find myself recommending horror films to anyone. Generally people will already have a clear idea of wether or not they are interested in a particular horror film, and so will seek it out or not depending on that opinion. Sadly there are also so few horror films that are above average that most people have heard of all the good ones, at which point it comes back down to them already knowing whether or not they intend to watch it. Martyrs is one of only two horror films that I have actively introduced to friends.

And on the topic of divisiveness, Martyrs is certainly a film that seems to split audiences and I am yet to find somebody who is indifferent to this film. I firmly stand in the crowd of those who love it, but I had no expectations at all going in so it may well be a film that can suffer from being over-hyped. So at the risk of over-hyping let me just say that this is an incredibly bleak film and features a truly brutal depiction of hopelessness. The plot takes several unexpected turns that demand the viewer trust where they are being led. While there are certainly a handful of frights along the way, Martyrs plays for drama rather than horror for the majority of the second and third acts which is something that really appealed to me. 

I won't give away any more information as from experience I believe that the less you know going in, the more you will be likely to gain from this film. It has fast become one of my favourite horror films, but it is by no means light viewing.