I recently stumbled across the French horror film MARTYRS while browsing one of the internet’s many “Best Horror Films You Haven’t Seen” lists which also led me to movies like HATCHET, SPLINTER, HIGH TENSION and more, but MARTYRS made the most distinct impression on me.
As the new director of the American remake puts it, “every time you think you know where it’s going, it goes somewhere else.” Exceedingly true, but naturally it would be MUCH better if it was all in English (sarcasm).
THE LAST EXORCISM’s Daniel Stamm is taking over, and thankfully he has a script to work which will hopefully result in a less stupid ending than that film had. Or not.
“Martyrs is very nihilistic,” says Stamm. “The American approach that I’m looking at would go through all that darkness but then give a glimmer of hope. You don’t have to shoot yourself at the end.”
I would argue that’s true for THE MIST, but I thought MARTYRS ending was appropriate and doesn’t really lend itself to tweaking. But silly Americans, we do what we want.