TigersWood Reviews

Martyrs (2008)

Terrifying

[9/10 · 1 November 2023]

The Blu-Ray copy of Martyrs has a warning label on the sleeve, read as follows: "This movie contains scenes of violence and horror that may provoke feelings of disgust, repulsion or fear." Reading this label, I recognized it as an understatement of what this film truly offers, and if you're looking for one of the most disturbing movies ever made, you've found it.

Martyrs is a rare type of film. One of the very few movies that exists as a vile, disgusting and violent piece of art, and simultaneously a masterpiece of modern cinema that provokes empathy and raw emotion throughout.

Martyrs has stayed under the radar of your average movie buff for 15 years, known only sparingly as one of many films in the New French Extreme wave of movies released in the mid to late 2000's. As such, it was lumped in with decent films like Inside, Haute Tension, Frontieres and Calvaire, but should stand clearly and decisively apart from the rest as the single best French horror film of all time, and one of the most terrifying movies you'll ever see.

Mild Spoilers ahead: Martyrs is a story of two girls - one who experienced a terrible imprisonment at a young age (Lucie) and her best friend, who wanted nothing more than to displace Lucie's trauma with love (Anna). The first act introduces us to both girls, and serves as "Lucie's story" to showcase her motives and effectively create empathy where there only exists unspeakable cruelty. Here we catch a glimpse of the trauma that Lucie has lived with for 15 years, and it's perceived manifestation.

The second act introduces a "secret society," a wealthy machine that seeks enlightenment through the most cruel and vile means imaginable, and Anna's capture and imprisonment at the hands of this misguided evil group. This is arguably the most harrowing part of the film and also contains some of the most twisted imagery ever committed to film, while calling to question the lengths and extents to which human beings are capable of going to achieve what they want.

Lastly, the third act is best described as "Anna's torture," which lasts much longer than one might expect or be comfortable with. While at first it seems escapable and merciful, it devolves into what is possibly the cruelest and most repulsive scene in movie history, and takes an already frightening depiction of horror to an entirely new level. The film makes an effort to describe Anna's feelings at this hard time, and her capacity to let it all go and give in to the situation.

A truly sad and disturbing finale left me feeling guilt, shame, remorse and yet at the same time I felt curious, vulnerable and impressed. I won't delve further than that, but suffice it to say this one of the most difficult endings to wrap your head around. Bon chance!

Barbarian (2022)

A modern horror standout

[8/10 · 17 October 2023]

It's rare to find true excellence in modern day horror films. While there are great movies being made in the genre in recent years, they have unfortunately become a rarity over the past decade. Through the teens and into the early twenties, there are only a few examples of truly excellent horror films, as the likes of Get Out or Hereditary are very few and far between. Barbarian is a flawed, uneven, but nevertheless excellent horror film that soared near these heights in the first act, showed a lot of potential, but fell just shy of achieving a place in the annals of true genre greatness. That being said, it's certainly worth a watch and will not disappoint viewers seeking a campy, fun and scary flick.

Spoilers herein - the first act follows our heroine Tess as she arrives at her AirBNB only to find it occupied by fellow renter Keith, who seems only too gentlemanly to be genuine. He accommodates her by insisting she should stay in the house, presenting a scenario that should leave most viewers, especially women, feeling uneasy and cautious. Tess describes herself as "tough" and goes on to prove it many times throughout the film. Contemporary social issues are used effectively in this part of the movie to help solidify the uneasy tone; the dynamic of a woman forced to put her trust in a man she doesn't know, the horrific decay of the Detroit suburbs, and the undertones of misogyny are all present in this first act, which ends with Keith and Tess being captured by a very strong, violent, but ambiguous monster.

The tone changes gears quickly in the second act, providing some relief to the audience after a fairly bloody and intense scene. Here we are introduced to AJ, an actor who's douchebaggery becomes quite obvious within a few minutes while he is unceremoniously fired from his new job. We learn through a series of expositionary dialogues that, unlike Keith, he is a misogynistic jerk who has crossed a line with a coworker. After AJ arrives at the Detroit house he tends to provide some decent comic relief. When AJ ends up caught by the monster as well, Tess takes the opportunity to go for help.

The third act sees Tess return to save AJ, who in turn double crosses her to save his own butt. The monster ends up becoming somewhat sympathetic as we learn it's motives, which takes away some of its ferocity - one of the key flaws of the story. The ending lacks the visceral punch the audience is salivating for after such a compelling start to the movie. That being said, if you're looking to relax and enjoy a twisted horror film that devolves into a campy creature feature by the third act, Barbarian is a good choice and highly recommended.

Frantic (1988)

Still a decent movie 35 years on

[7/10 · 19 June 2023]

While Roman Polanski's Frantic was a flop at the US box office, 35 years later it still holds up as one of his (and Harrison Ford's) most well known films. Ford himself was rumoured to have challenged Polanski on the title of the film, saying the script didn't feel frantic, and he's right... the movie doesn't pack a lot of energy, fear, panic or anxiety into its two hour runtime. It is however reminiscent of some of Polanski's other thrillers like Chinatown, The Tenant and especially the underrated The Ninth Gate, which also featured a protagonist working to solve a mystery with the help of a young and beautiful Emanuelle Seignuer in tow.

The early scenes in the hotel room are a great example of Polanski's skill as a filmmaker, as he establishes the trust and love in the Walker marriage and the couple's codependency upon each other. One aspect of Ford's fish-out-of-water character that helps make the film work is he's fairly inept at navigating a day in Paris without some support from his wife, so when she leaves his struggles to communicate and investigate become much more relatable.

35 years on, the movie is a testament to how much the world has changed, how people could not so easily be tracked or located in those days, and how people communicated at the time seems so foreign today. A few takeaways from the film - did you know there's a Statue of Liberty in Paris? Did you know Roman Polanski featured Emanuelle Seignuer in most of his movies after Frantic, and even married her after shooting wrapped, in spite of her horrid dancing which he chose not to cut from the final film? Well, now you know. Ultimately it's worth a watch, and if you like it, go check out The Ninth Gate as well.

Evil Dead Trap (1988)

If Cronenberg was from Japan and made a slasher/giallo gore flick and Carpenter scored it

[7/10 · 3 March 2023]

The many influences on Evil Dead Trap are obvious but also a very interesting mix. A splash of gritty gory torture porn kicks the movie off, shortly thereafter adopting a more standard American slasher formula for a while. EDT's first act follows a small group of college kids who arrive at a secluded location, split up to investigate in spite of warnings, have sex with each other, and get picked off one by one by a killer with seemingly supernatural powers until the final girl is done freaking out and musters up the courage to fight back. This is well-trodden ground, but into the second act EDT also begins to utilize elements of Italian giallo to powerful effect, as a masked killer with a large knife emerges amongst brightly coloured backlighting and strobe effects. Seasoned viewers will note influences from other Japanese horror standards like House and Ringu, musical prompts that would make John Carpenter proud, and often a visceral Cronenberg feel reminiscent of The Brood and Videodrome. As the film escalates to a final boss showdown, the outlandish dreamlike tone broadens and the final girl learns more about the origins of her nemesis. Without spoiling entirely, fans of Basket Case will appreciate the finale. Overall EDT is a very cool piece of Japanese pop culture and a must watch for lovers of obscure horror.

Ju-on: Origins (2020)

Better than most Ju-On movies

[6/10 · 13 January 2021]

Ju-On Origins is a short episodic series with about a 3 hour total running time, so it kind of feels like a movie broken up into six parts. For fans of the original Japanese series, this one will feel familiar and fits in well with the tone of those films from 2000-2003. This series succeeds in staying true to the tropes of the original movies, complete with your standard overly convoluted plot, multiple characters interacting with each other in different intersecting timelines, and slow burn frights where most horror series rely on jump scares. Hardcore horror fans will appreciate the extremely gory practical effects, which add a certain whimsical (and disgusting) charm to the whole thing.

Ju-On Origins focuses much of its efforts to scare the audience on the horrors perpetrated by people upon each other, in most cases men being cruel to women and children, and less on the ghostly creatures that populate this world. If you're tired of the now stereotypical Japanese ghost with wet black hair you'll agree they did well to steer clear of that tired image. The big downside of this story is, well, the story... which is confusing at best and completely non-sensical the rest of the time. Feels like something is being lost in translation, whether of language or culture, and the end result doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If you can overlook that weakness and just enjoy a movie for the strong horror elements previously discussed, this series is for you.

Revenge (II) (2017)

Seek out I Spit On Your Grave instead

[5/10 · 12 June 2018]

The latest entry in a 40+ year old sub-genre of rape/revenge exploitation films, Revenge is a movie that generated a lot of buzz and acclaim for the wrong reasons. The plot is familiar to genre fans who have enjoyed this fare for many years, although if critics are heeded, this time around it's fresh and new. 2017 truly was the year of the woman in America, and rightly so, everyone wants to see strong female characters mop the floor with the evil men who did them wrong. So many forget that this formula has been in place for a long time in genre films, and those same viewers disregard those earlier and more original forays into this territory simply because it wasn't in style at the time.

Revenge tells a tale in a way that is fun and appealing to the senses - it's a beautiful and colourful sight to see, with plenty of ridiculous gore effects, blood and over the top scenes. It is admittedly a much easier pill to swallow than some of the harsh and disturbing takes on this subject from the past. Where it falls short of it's predecessors is amongst an almost constant barrage of absurd plot devices, eye rolling leaps of faith and banal stupidity in the actions of the characters on the screen. It ultimately adds up to a memorable, yet frustrating movie that I wanted to like, but couldn't force myself to enjoy.

While watching, I found myself wanting to switch to I Spit On Your Grave, either version really - because both are far superior, if less attractive versions of the same film. ISOYG is challenging, difficult to watch some of the scenes, gritty and grimy, but will have you cheering for the main protagonist even as she enacts an extreme flavour of vengeance on those who harmed her. The revenge is much colder, calculated and cringe-worthy than this candy-coated stuff. If only they had waited until 2017 to remake it, it would have been perfect timing.

In summary, skip Revenge and check out ISOYG instead - but caution, if you are easily rattled you may want to just stick with the easy, shiny, pretty, new Revenge instead.

Evil Dead (2013)

A Fun Movie, Yet Something's Missing

[7/10 · 23 July 2013]

In the months leading up to the release of his Evil Dead remake, rookie feature director Fede Alvarez made some promises to the die-hard fans of Sam Raimi's cult trilogy. This would be a gory film with an unprecedented quantity of blood and several nods to original Evil Dead series, with no attempt to recreate scenes or characters from those films. On these promises, he and the producers of Evil Dead have delivered completely.

The film plods along carefully without overtly stepping on the toes of those fans who have a special place in their hearts for such things as The Necronomicon, boomsticks, deadites, Bruce Campbell and soul-swallowing demons. While several distinct tributes are made using props and set pieces (cabin, Oldsmobile Delta, chainsaw, shotgun, cellar) and the camera work, this film has it's own direction and a completely different tone.

This might be where Evil Dead begins to falter somewhat, as the previously employed fun and comical approach to the subject matter is discarded in favour of a more serious tone. Alvarez deliberately chose this strategy, maybe without realizing that a concept as goofy as the Evil Dead probably should not be taken seriously. There's something hilarious about a mischievous zombie giggling and scheming, but it's certainly not genuinely frightening, and this film's attempts to scare the audience are more often just silly.

The faltering continued with characters in the film. The lovable hero Ash is replaced by a group of unlikeable nameless twenty-somethings with very few redeeming qualities. While the actors portray these forgettable characters well enough, there really isn't anyone to cheer for in Evil Dead - there's no villain, and no hero.

That being said, it was a very gory film with some fun parts. So if you are looking for a bloody disgusting yet unintentionally goofy cheese-fest, you might like this flick. Or you could just go watch the far superior Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn (1987).