by Allen Alberson

Created on: December 16, 2009   Last Updated: December 17, 2009

Over the recent years movies such as Hostile and the Saw franchise have pushed blood and gore to new heights. Gore hounds have been pleased by this move away from PG-13 horror into more adult fare. Remakes such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills have Eyes, while light in substance have been heavy with violence and gore. This American fare still cannot compare with some of the violence and gore coming from across the Ocean. The French especially have shown great skill in producing extreme blood and gore, many times without sacrificing an absorbing storyline. The latest installment to French horror is Martyrs.

Martyrs is a 2008 film by French director Pascal Laugier that was released in the United States on DVD in April 2009. Martyrs was screened at Cannes in 2008 and an American remake, sadly, is being negotiated.

The film revolves around Lucie and Ana, two best friends seeking revenge for the horrors inflicted on Lucie as a child. Their plans spiral wildly out of control as Lucie’s past continually haunts her and we are left to decide what is real and what is in her mind. At least we are left to wonder until the second part of the Martyrs, when things go from bad to nuclear.

The story begins with Lucie escaping from an abattoir in which she has been imprisoned and tortured. Then it cuts to news coverage of her escape where we are told that she has been horrendously tortured, yet she has not been sexually abused. Lucie is placed in an orphanage where she befriends Ana. Even in the safety of the orphanage, Lucie cannot find peace as she is continuously tortured by a creature that only she, and the viewers, can see.

Martyrs then shifts fifteen years into the future into what we assume is a normal family home. The family is enjoying a typical breakfast, discussing family matters when suddenly a young woman bursts in and slaughters the entire family. We soon discover that this is Lucie, who believes the family to be responsible for her torture due to a newspaper clipping. After her murderous spree she calls Ana who comes to help her clean up the scene. We find that the creature is still haunting Lucie and inflicting horrible wounds upon her. Ana meanwhile, is disturbed by the violence and questions if the family was actually guilty.

Ana find that the mother is still alive and tries to help her escape. Lucie discovers them and brutally kills the mother. After killing the mother, the creature reappears. We discover that the creature is actually a manifestation

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