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What we have with Martyrs is what I'm going to call the '2 Girls 1 Cup Effect'.
If you don't know what I'm talking about when I say that, I'm not going to explain what 2g1c actually is because that would probably assure me not being allowed to post here anymore. I'll let you figure it out on your own (bring a barf bag). But the gist of it is a viral video that's essentally a game you can play with your friends or on your own. A game called 'how long can you last'.
You sit down to watch it and you know you're not going to make it all the way through. Maybe you psych yourself up a little. Maybe someone's prepared you for it (or tried) by telling you 'this is the worst thing you've ever seen'. Either way, it doesn't work. What you end up seeing is worse than you can imagine. It is so truly disturbing that it provokes an actual physical reaction. Your gag reflex kicks in, your face starts to turn red, and you can't breathe. This describes Martyrs to a T.
For a Midnight Madness film, that's saying a lot. I mean, this is a programme where I've seen people walk out, aghast, from Black Sheep. I'm pretty sure that at least one person puked in the Ryerson during Isolation. I'm fairly sure I even saw a tear-filled face or two during last year's L'Interieur (Inside) - most likely the hapless dates of the type of horrorphiles that frequent that type of flick. Did they think they were coming to Juno?! We may never know.
But Martyrs is different. In the three aforementioned movies (discluding Juno), you can sort of laugh nervously after the disturbing or gory scenes. Here, Pascal puts you right in the minds of our two victims. You feel what they feel and it is visceral. When they are afraid, you are afraid. When they are defeated, you feel the same. Truly a remarkable achievement. I can already tell that this film will skyrocket into maybe the top three horror movies I've seen in my life. Martyrs affected me in ways I never thought possible. Ways, I am surprised to say, that were not altogether pleasant. But at least I lasted all the way through.
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