Ever since I was little my imagination has been beyond vivid. It’s one of the main reasons I avoided watching scary movies as a child. On at least one occasion I was given the choice to watch “Hellraiser” or go play by myself elsewhere. As soon as “Pinhead” came out and tore the skin off some guy, I excused myself and bolted for another room. A guy with a head full of needles was not a welcome addition to thoughts previously occupied by cartoons, talking animals, and imaginary friends. That same attitude toward horror flicks as an adult hasn’t changed much from younger years. I like seeing scary movies once in a while, but watching usually means severe nightmares for at least a couple days. It’s a trade-off that’s not always worth losing sleep over.
Last Monday I received my latest movie pick from Netflix, a horror/thriller titled “Martyrs”, suggested on a table at Barnes & Noble with a large sign above it reading “Buzz Worthy” or something similar to that. Basically, the movies on the table were saying, “Watch me. I’m different. I’m neat-o.” I jotted down the movies that caught my eye and put them into my Netflix queue later that evening. Then I waited.
My first mistake after “Martyrs” arrived was waiting until almost 11 pm to begin watching. I kept telling myself to hold off until the next afternoon to watch during daylight, but no. I just had to watch it that night—second mistake. The third, and most detrimental mistake, was continuing to watch even after the director’s introduction included him saying, “…you may hate me for making this movie.” Hate? Perhaps a bit too strong. When 4 am rolled around and I still couldn’t sleep can’t exactly say I loved the guy for making the movie, either. Yes, that is FOUR-in-the-morning. I wake up for work around six. Any way you do the math makes for a very rough day. To add to the trauma, I woke up somewhat in the middle of a dream thinking I would be kidnapped and taken to a subterranean building if I didn’t press a button to silence the alarm. It’s not how I prefer to start out my day.
I can’t say whether or not I would recommend this movie to anyone else, but those with strong stomachs may be able to get past the gore to explore the story line. It’s an interesting idea, one that starts out in one direction only to end up almost in another genre.
More information on the actual movie can be found within the Internet Movie Database. The comments/reviews written are also worth checking out to provide more insight into how graphic and controversial this film is.
If you’re wondering whether or not I would watch it again, my answer is, “Heck, no.” I’m not even sure I should’ve watched it the first time.
