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Martyrs

Play trailer Poster for Martyrs R 2008 1h 39m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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66% Tomatometer 41 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A young woman's quest for revenge leads her down a path of depravity.
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Martyrs

Martyrs

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Critics Consensus

A real polarising movie, this Gallic torture-porn is graphic, brutal, nasty and gruesome and not to everyone's taste.

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Critics Reviews

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Scott Tobias AV Club Martyrs is something of a horror milestone-a dire one to some, but a movie to be reckoned with all the same. Oct 19, 2018 Full Review Simon Abrams Slant Magazine Martyrs has an intelligence and a dogged determination to do and to say what its predecessors could or would not. Oct 19, 2018 Full Review Anton Bitel Little White Lies it turns out to be concerned precisely with the nature and reception of extremity, posing uncomfortable questions about what it is that one really seeks in choosing to 'witness' scenes of horrific human abjection. Dec 1, 2010 Full Review Joel Harley Starburst Written in a deep depression (and one can tell!), Martyrs is a work of bleak and unrelenting nihilism. Rated: 5/5 Oct 28, 2025 Full Review Alan Jones Radio Times Yet as unpredictably nasty as it gets, there is a stark controversial point to the strangely beautiful excess as well as an astonishingly profound conclusion. Rated: 4/5 Oct 15, 2025 Full Review Akos Peterbencze The Screen In the dedicated execution of its vision — prepared to go beyond every boundary that there is — Martyrs is an unlikely masterpiece of horror if one that's extremely difficult to praise sincerely. Sep 10, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Craig H Dark, bleak, grim, shocking at times and pretty sad but definitely not as brutal and as shocking as ive read alot of people say. The gore was barely there, it was more the human suffering and the aftermath and consequence of it that was the shocking stuff. The whole last 20 minutes just didnt hit for me though, the whole after life, secret society stuff, meh. It tried to be deep with the reason these people where tortured but I found it abit farfetched. Outside of that a well made, well acted, gruelling, depressing film that was very similar to Hostel Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/28/25 Full Review John W I wasn't sure if I should watch it, but I'm glad I did because the film is surprisingly good. There's also a lot of plot and not just senseless violence. The first half of the film was surprisingly scary with a lot of blood in the style of the Evil Dead remake. The second half became more of a torture film in the style of Hostel, but even that happens for a reason which I thought was really good thematically. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/13/25 Full Review Russell W Martyrs is a one of a kind experience. Is it horror, or a philosophical study of humanity’s search for transcendence through pain? Maybe both. The “villains” aren’t cartoonish or out to kill because they’re crazy. They’re seekers, chasing answers that only suffering can reveal. This movie takes you down one road, then crashes into you and flips you onto a completely different road. Gruesome, yes. But beneath the brutality, there’s purpose. It’s not gore for shock sake. It’s meaning carved from agony. A bloody Nietzsche, maybe. Yes. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/07/25 Full Review Alejandra C I really really loved the concept. The ending, i was hoping for a bit more but i was satisfied with it. Watch Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/06/25 Full Review Shaun R You won’t forget this film once you watch it. One of my favourite films, and goes against everything Hollywood stands for. This isn’t for everyone however. The average person will not get to the end. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/24/25 Full Review Jesus R. This movie is a masterpiece! Filled with emotion and heartbreak….. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/30/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Martyrs

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Movie Info

Synopsis A young woman's quest for revenge leads her down a path of depravity.
Director
Pascal Laugier
Producer
Richard Grandpierre, Simon Trottier
Screenwriter
Pascal Laugier
Rating
R (Disturbing Aberrant Behavior|Child Abuse|Torture|Severe Aberrant Behavior|Some Nudity|Strong Bloody Violence)
Genre
Horror
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Runtime
1h 39m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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