In my years of horror appreciation, I’ve seen a lot. I’ve seen lame over-rated horrors (or torture porn, whatever you want to call it), cheesy hilarious B-grade horrors, shock appeal horrors, classic horrors, kak scary horrors, non-scary horrors, foreign horrors, American mainstream horrors and just about every other type of horror out there. None of them have come close to the movies I recently watched however. Not even remotely close!
Horror #1 - Martyrs
Horror #1 was Martyrs, a French new wave horror by Pascal Laugier. French new wave extremity is trending in a big way internationally, but in France they have yet to see the appeal of highly disturbing movies. The filming, the acting, the storyline and the message are unreal – the kind of movie that you think of long after it’s finished. The movie tells the story of Lucie, a young girl who was held hostage and tortured as a child. She is taken to an orphanage, where she meets Anna. 15 years later, she goes into the home of a seemingly normal family and shoots them all dead – as it turns out, for good reason. I won’t say more than that, but I will tell you that you will NEVER be able to work out the twist, in fact you will unlikely be able to work it out totally, even after watching it. Much as the Twilight producer thinks that he can make a dumbed down American version, this is one movie that can never be remade – see the original NOW before it is butchered!
Horror #2 - Antichrist
Horror #2 was Antichrist, a gem produced by Danish film legend Lars von Trier. This one is in English, and has Willem Dafoe in the male lead and Charlotte Gainsbourg in the female lead. I have never seen such a beautifully filmed movie, especially not a horror, and this one just totally blew me away. Set in four chapters, with a prologue and an epilogue, the movie tells the tale of a man and woman coming to terms with the loss of their child. There are some pretty graphic scenes (let’s just say that Willem Dafoe had a penis double!), and some extremely upsetting and disturbing scenes that will not doubt offend many people. But if you like super intense art house horrors that are loaded with symbolism, exquisite filming and haunting plots, then this is a must-see!
I don’t think I can say which is better, because both were incredible. In some ways, these were more hectic than A Serbian Film, because they are more than just shock horrors… they are thinking movies, that broaden the mind and warp your soul. For really realz.
If anyone can recommend something to top these, bring it on. But right now, I think I have pretty much hit new levels of mind adjustment.
Awesomeness.
oooo they both sound so good, especially Martyrs, hope I can get it one day.
Thanks for the great tips, did I read about Battle Royale on here? My friend just d/l it for me but I’ll pick it up once he’s done some other films, if I didnt read about it here then check it out. He couldnt find a serbian film the first time he looked, hopefully he gets it for me.
OOOH, it looks awesome – I didn’t review it though so haven’t seen it. Love Japanese movies, so def going to look out for this!
Heya, I hope you are doing alright this evening! I have seen a few Lars Von Triers movies, but this one makes me really nervous. Not sure if I can take it, but the reviews for it are very positive. Eeep. I think I should try.
Feeling ok – chest still feels all tight, but focusing on getting through this next week or so calmly and zen-like!
As for the Lars Von Triers – this is the first of his movies that I’ve seen, was absolutely blown away… I won’t lie, it’s pretty disturbing stuff, but it’s done so beautifully (and that really is the only word I can use!) that it ends up being a magical, very dark fairytale almost.
Give it a try and see for yourself! I must look for some more of his movies, what can you recommend?