Martyrs (2015)

A woman and her childhood friend seek out revenge on those who victimized and abused them.

Directors:

Kevin Goetz, Michael Goetz

Writers:

Pascal Laugier (characters), Mark L. Smith (screenplay)

Stars:

Troian Bellisario, Bailey Noble, Kate Burton

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Troian Bellisario	...	Lucie
Bailey Noble	...	Anna
Kate Burton	...	Eleanor
Caitlin Carmichael	...	Sam
Melissa Tracy	...	The Creature
Romy Rosemont	...	Mom
Toby Huss	...	Fenton
Elyse Cole	...	Young Anna
Ever Prishkulnik	...	Young Lucie
Blake Robbins	...	Dad
Taylor John Smith	...	Son
Lexi DiBenedetto	...	Daughter
Ivar Brogger	...	Priest
Laurence Todd Rosenthal	...	Dr. Haseem (as Larry Rosenthal)
DaJuan Johnson	...	Officer #1

Storyline

Anna rushes to help her friend Lucy, who was viciously abused as a young child, clean up the aftermath of the revenge she visited upon her abductors 15 years later. Was Lucy the only victim? Are they alone in this idyllic home? What nightmares lie beneath the tranquil facade of this house of horror? In search of the truth they uncover a sadistic cult organization determined to make a Martyr of each subject rather than a simple victim.

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Plot Keywords:

held captive | pain | skinned alive | torture chamber | escape | 

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Taglines:

The Ultimate Horror Movie

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie is not a shot for shot remake, instead it is carrying over the 'mood and elements' of the original film.

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Connections

Featured in Brows Held High: Taxidermia: Why Did You Make Me Watch This? (2017)

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Soundtracks

Dirty Dusty Roads
Written and Performed by Volker Barber

User Reviews

Everything that made the original great is missing

I recently saw the original 'Martyrs' and absolutely loved it. That French film from 2008 was very close to a horror masterpiece. It was original, disturbing and clever. An absolutely marvelous film. So of course the Americans were going to have a go at remaking it - I'm just surprised it took them so long. Now, there are a number of reasons you might remake a film. You could think there were areas that could have been improved on in an otherwise good film, or you might simply want more people to see such a wonderful story. Whatever your reason is for doing it though, one thing is absolutely crucial - you must maintain the quality. Otherwise you are doing a massive disservice to the original and tarnishing its name. Sadly, that's exactly what the 2015 version of 'Martyrs' has done.

The first 3/4 of the film remain extremely similar to the original, almost feeling like a shot-for-shot remake at times. During this phase the movie isn't actually half bad. The same intensity isn't quite there and the acting is step down, but it could be considered a passable film up to that point. Then the final 1/4 begins and it all starts to unravel. This was always going to be the segment that determined how good this film was going to be, because it was the segment that made the original what it was. Everything that made the original ending great was basically removed and replaced with inferior ideas. I would've preferred to see zero creativity used and simply a shot-for-shot, word-for-word remake created, simply because people who see this instead of the original are going to get a bad taste in their mouth, when they should have exactly the opposite.

This remake of 'Martyrs' never dares to be great, and that it why it isn't. Whether they were afraid American audiences wouldn't be able to handle the gruesome violence and ambiguity of the original I'm not sure, but if that was the case it makes zero sense because the only people who are going to see a film like this are the ones that can handle it. It's a terrible shame this movie was ever made. If it's not too late and you haven't seen either version yet, I implore you to choose the French original. It'll be the wisest decision you ever make.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 January 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Martyrs

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$397,072

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blumhouse Productions, The Safran Company, Temple Hill Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Color:

Color