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

One of the most powerfully affecting horror films you'll ever see. Just don't be surprised if you walk away feeling empty inside.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Dec 30, 2020

Films at their best - and worst - continue to have tremendous power, and Martyrs is absolutely a film which encapsulates this.

| Jul 30, 2020

This is not an easy film to watch, but it is a valuable film to watch.

| Feb 22, 2020

The narrative wraps up on its own terms, leaving the viewer alone to ponder over precisely what just happened.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Feb 19, 2020

With Martyrs the horrifying imagery and gore are not the point or the source of entertainment ... It transcends the genre, and challenges the viewers to see beyond the horror.

| Apr 30, 2019

Maybe I missed the point of the lesson.

| Original Score: 1/4 | Oct 19, 2018

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

Martyrs has an intelligence and a dogged determination to do and to say what its predecessors could or would not.

| Oct 19, 2018

The kind of person who'd be inclined to seek the film out is probably not the kind of person who'd regret that decision.

| Dec 5, 2016

It should fare well with fans of hardcore gore looking for something subversive.

| Original Score: B | Nov 3, 2015

It's a hollow film with hopelessly annoying themes that don't arouse questions so much as eye rolls.

| Oct 13, 2015

Martyrs is a groundbreaking work - it challenges the audience to endure heinous acts yet to emerge spiritually cleansed; to witness man's willingness to abuse, degrade and manipulate, yet leave the theatre more enamoured with humanity than ever.

| Jul 16, 2013

Brutally well-conceived... for about 40 minutes, and then "Martyrs" flips on its own bloody axis and falls apart, existentially.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Apr 13, 2011

Some call it torture porn, others might call it aggressive moralising, more still have say it's boring and pointless. In my view this level of dissent marks it as worthwhile.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Mar 13, 2011

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.

Full Review | Dec 1, 2010

Perhaps more than any other horror film, Martyrs demonstrates the range of the genre's capabilities to find ways to excite, provoke, and disturb us.

| Original Score: 80/100 | Jul 31, 2009

ultimately a very off-putting one-trick pony

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Apr 29, 2009

Martyrs is an absolute recommend, but only to those who are willing to accept the film on its own uncompromising terms. All others are advised to stay well clear away.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Apr 27, 2009

Martyrs marks new ground in the horror genre - just don't take that as a sign it's worth your time.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Apr 22, 2009