Megalomaniac

Released Sep 8, 2023

1h 40m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

List

84%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Martha and Félix are the children of the Butcher of Mons, a notorious Belgian serial killer from the 1990s. Unstable and riddled with insecurities, Martha lives vicariously through social media. Her brother, crushed by the family legacy, takes over their father's killings. Harassed and violently assaulted at work, the docile Martha falls into madness and goes through the looking glass into the strange and terrifying world inhabited by her brother.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

It’s a tough but well-made film that raises provocative questions that are certain to make everyone in the audience uncomfortable, as they should.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 27, 2023

Full Review

Meagan Navarro

Bloody Disgusting

Writer/Director Karim Ouelhaj crafts extreme confrontational horror that aims to offend as much as it does evoke wrath and societal reflection. It’s at once compelling and uncomfortable to watch.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 25, 2022

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Screen International

While it’s undoubtedly an effectively nasty horror picture, linking this inventively unpleasant scenario to an actual case which claimed the lives of five women is perhaps in questionable taste.

Jul 24, 2022

Full Review

Sarah Vincent

Cambridge Day

The film contains graphic depictions of violence, rape and revenge, emblematic of New Extreme films – the European genre that makes American torture porn feel genteel and restrained.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 30, 2023

Full Review

Bobby LePire

Film Threat

Schumacher owns her role in a way that is both empathetic and frustrating. While this is an unnerving, uncomfortable watch, it is also profound.

Rated: 8.5/10

Sep 15, 2023

Full Review

Dan Scully

ScullyVision

The thematics wrenched from this profoundly upsetting story speak on the self-perpetuating nature of violence, while simultaneously questioning the dark, albeit human catharsis achieved by revenge.

Sep 13, 2023

Full Review

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prawnda s

i am only taking a star off because it's a difficult watch, but if you like horror and can handle some scenes of graphic violence/abuse, then it's a very interesting watch. it's not exactly "torture p*rn" like some people might assume when the reviews compare it to hostel, because it is really doing it's own thing, and all of the violence makes more sense by the end.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/26/24

Full Review

Damon D

Great acting but relentlessly grim to the point of being a bit absurdly funny by the end. There's really no one to root for here and I find it hard to recommend to anyone but the most diehard horror/gore fans.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/23/24

Full Review

Juli S

Megalomaniac (2022) by Belgian filmmaker Karim Ouelhaj was one of the darkest films I saw in 2023, both in terms of subject matter and visually; it was also one of my favorites. Karim Ouelhaj wrote and directed Megalomaniac, which had a small budget and was filmed in three weeks. He used the Butcher of Mons, a real life serial killer who was never captured, as a springboard to explore "the timeless loop of evil, the mistakes we make, and make again, and that we forget through history." Besides the interesting storyline and great performances, I loved the strong imagery and cinematography. Karim Ouelhaj has an art history background, and it shows. His references for this film included Flemish painters like Van Haecht and Delacroix, as well as Francis Bacon. Watching Megalomaniac is a visceral experience, one that is more nightmarish than gory. It also raises important questions, such as how does a victim become the executioner?

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/01/24

Full Review

Adolfo Y

By title, it's a name soundalike to megalomania but good movie :)

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/30/23

Full Review

Van E

Dark, brooding and relentless, this film is gorgeous and looks like a blood splattered Caravaggio, but it's seriousness makes for an at times challenging watch. If you're game to sit through the suffering, well worth it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/25/23

Full Review

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Karim Ouelhaj

Director

Eline Schumacher

Martha

Wim Willaert

Jérôme

Benjamin Ramon

Félix

Pierre Nisse

Luc

Raphaëlle Lubansu

Madame Connecci

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Synopsis

Martha and Félix are the children of the Butcher of Mons, a notorious Belgian serial killer from the 1990s. Unstable and riddled with insecurities, Martha lives vicariously through social media. Her brother, crushed by the family legacy, takes over their father's killings. Harassed and violently assaulted at work, the docile Martha falls into madness and goes through the looking glass into the strange and terrifying world inhabited by her brother.

Director: Karim Ouelhaj
Producer: Florence Saâdi, Nicolas George, Karim Ouelhaj
Screenwriter: Karim Ouelhaj
Distributor: Dark Star Pictures
Production Co: Les Films du Carré
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: French
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 8, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 26, 2023
Runtime: 1h 40m

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