I was very hesitant to watch this film because when researching movies to watch for this Halloween extravaganza, I saw Martyrs appear several times under the "oh my god, don't watch this unless you really really want to, and even then you probably shouldn't" category. So you can imagine my wariness when picking it. But I decided to give it a go since the past few movies haven't provided a whole lot of true horror, so I might as well throw myself down the rabbit's hole. And truth be told, I'm glad I did. While disturbing, the movie was not what I was expecting given the warnings.
In 1971, Lucie escapes her captivity, beaten and scared. She befriends a girl named Anna in an orphanage, but is haunted by a feral apparition. 15 years later, we focus on a seemingly unrelated family sitting down for Sunday brunch when the doorbell rings. The father goes to open the door and is killed instantly by a woman with a shotgun. Context implies it's Lucie and these are the people who tortured her. Lucie then murders the rest of the family including the two teenage children.
This clearly was difficult for Lucie as she begins weeping while covered in this family's blood and is attacked again by the creature haunting her. Anna arrives to help her and try to figure out a plan, but is horrified by what Lucie has done, unconvinced that Lucie had enough evidence that these were in fact her torturers.
Spoilers and such beyond:
After Anna tries to help the mother, who survived her gunshot wound, Lucie attacks both of them, killing the mother for good. She is upset with Anna for helping the woman, but is once again attacked by the creature, whom we learn was another victim Lucie didn't help rescue when she escaped 15 years prior. The camera shifts to show from Anna's perspective and she see Lucie's wounds are self-inflicted. The creature is a manifestation of her guilt for leaving the woman behind. Lucie slits her throat and dies.
The next morning, Anna finds a torture chamber in a hidden basement in the house, realizing that Lucie had been right all along. She finds a woman trapped down there and frees her, only for the woman to be shot by mysterious people dressed in black who arrive suddenly. The group explains that they abuse women in order for them (the women) to achieve "martyrdom" and gain knowledge of life beyond our current one.
The movie shifts as Anna becomes there newest project, breaking her down through beatings and humiliation. She imagines a conversation with Lucie who tells her to let go of her fears. Shortly there after, Anna is told she is entering the final stage and that the suffering will end soon. Sadly, the final stage is a horrific, she is skinned alive. But this is apparently what it takes, and Anna achieves transcendence.
The leader of the shadow group arrives and listens to Anna's description of what she saw. We, the audience, are not privy to the words. More members of the group arrive and are told that the leader will reveal the results shortly. When asked if the leader is ready, we see her in the bathroom removing her makeup. The leader says that there is no room for interpretation in what Anna saw and shoots herself in the head.
Kinda bleak.
Although, after it finished, I found myself wondering if the ending wasn't slightly positive. At first, I figured Anna's vision was so horrible that the Leader couldn't stand to live anymore. But then I realized that that doesn't really make sense. If everyone goes to some nightmarish hell after death, why would you want to go there sooner? I feel as though Anna likely saw something good, a "heaven" if you will, and the leader found she needed to be there, not waiting on this Earth for another day.
However you interpret the ending, it doesn't change the fact that this was a rough movie to sit through. For the first part, the shooting happen so abruptly, you hardly have time to process them. And in the second part, you find yourself asking why? during the beatings. It's interesting that although the beatings were less violent than some of the absurd contraptions in the Saw movies, for example, they were harder to watch, probably due to someone punching someone else relentlessly is more relatable than a head-brace that will rip your jaw off if you don't solve a puzzle. I found myself wincing through most of this movie, which definitely a section of horror.
If you're looking for a horrifyingly brutal movie, but actually makes you think a little, this is the movie for you.
Rating on the Spook-o-meter: 6 out of 10 boos
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