Maryrs or Eden Lake???

[dfms23]

I haven't seen either of these. I don't have a region free player yet. I am going to be getting one in the next week or two so I am going to start buying some Region B locked releases. I already have Menace II Society (B locked), Redbelt (way cheaper than US version), and I am trying to decide on either Martyrs or Eden Lake. Limited budget, just trying to decide which one to order. I welcome some good discussion here. Thanks!

[Dickieduvet]

Eden Lake gets my vote, Awesome Movie. Very unpleasant viewing experience, Loved every minute. Thought Martyrs was tosh !

[josuv22]

I go for Eden Lake . good movie about lowlife British scum also know as chavs

[apmje]

Martyrs!

[pro-bassoonist]

Hello,

Martyrs is a lot more serious film.

Pro-B

[Dwight Schrute]

They are both very disturbing and I personally wouldn't recommend either to buy, only to rent.

However, if you do want to buy then I would say Eden Lake is better simply because Martyrs is one of the worst films I've ever seen. The amount of "hidden meanings" that are nonexistent yet people have tried to create in reviews, is ridiculous. It basically consists of an hour of torture, a silly, melodramatic ending and a huge waste of time.

/2cents.

[Michael1989]

Eden Lake is ok, but as one said above, it's very uncomfortable viewing. Give it a rent. The other I've not seen.

[henson1855]

I personally liked them both,you might want to checkout Switchblade Romance ,thought it was good too.

[mpstjohn]

Definitely Martyrs.

Eden Lake is alright, brutal, but not particularly scary. Martyrs is damn near a work of art in the genre. One of the best genre films in years.

[Darkthrone]

Martyrs is much better, with that said Eden Lake is pretty good...but the stupid people in it start to annoy you after a while lol

[Darkthrone]

Originally Posted by henson1855

I personally liked them both,you might want to checkout Switchblade Romance ,thought it was good too.

is that out on blu-ray? very good movie, nice twist as well

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by Darkthrone

is that out on blu-ray? very good movie, nice twist as well

Haute Tension Blu-ray Review


Pro-B

[Mobe1969]

Originally Posted by Darkthrone

Martyrs is much better, with that said Eden Lake is pretty good...but the stupid people in it start to annoy you after a while lol

Yeah, I ended up switching off part way through. I hear the ending is good though, but I never made it to it... I've been meaning to revisit when I'm in a mood able to tolerate wall to wall scummery.

[Dust Devil]

Both are great !!

[aeric_7734]

I liked Eden Lake, would recommend a rental for that, but Martyrs is cinematic art. The only other French movie that has come close to impressing me nearly as much is Sheitan with Vincent Cassel. Calvaire is close to that second place spot as well. But yeah, Martyrs is honestly amazing in it's ability to be both insanely brutal yet completely elegant simultaneously.

[dfms23]

Originally Posted by aeric_7734

I liked Eden Lake, would recommend a rental for that, but Martyrs is cinematic art. The only other French movie that has come close to impressing me nearly as much is Sheitan with Vincent Cassel. Calvaire is close to that second place spot as well. But yeah, Martyrs is honestly amazing in it's ability to be both insanely brutal yet completely elegant simultaneously.

I don't have any experience with French horror. I am not a big horror person in terms of quantity. I am fairly selective in what I like in the horror genre and there is really no formula for what I like. I liked The Hills Have Eyes but hated the Saw movies. I also liked Silent Hill. I can't think of too much else. I also liked older movies like ANOES and Candyman.

[aeric_7734]

Originally Posted by dfms23

I don't have any experience with French horror. I am not a big horror person in terms of quantity. I am fairly selective in what I like in the horror genre and there is really no formula for what I like. I liked The Hills Have Eyes but hated the Saw movies. I also liked Silent Hill. I can't think of too much else. I also liked older movies like ANOES and Candyman.

I would almost say that French horror is nearly a genre to itself. With the exception of Switchblade Romance (Haute Tension) being the most accessible. When I think of excellent horror movies I almost simultaneously bring to mind Martyrs, Sheitan, Calvaire, Frontière(s), and A l'intérieur (Inside). People would ultimately be quick to label them all as varying degrees of "torture porn", though I digress. Movies like Saw and its ilk are ugly and exist solely to shock the audience by recycling elaborate death scenes from movie to movie. The French have honed it down to an actual art-form, and any one of the examples I listed I could just as easily see playing at the art-house theater in town.

Mind you, it helps immeasurably to already be a fan of the horror genre. Regardless of how gorgeous the cinematography may be or how convincing the leads may also be, they are basically just horror films when you get down to it. Better than most seen here in the US, yes, but still horror films. I personally love them, and they've managed to set a bar that few filmmakers have been able to equal since I started paying attention. South Korea's Su-chang Kong? Yeah, his GP506 and R-Points were almost there, but there aren't many others who match up.

If you're curious, I'd say rent them first for sure, since it sounds like you may be skeptical overall. Clearly, though, I love them!

[dfms23]

@aeric you know I am a bit skeptical but I am far more intrigued than skeptical. For some reason I was thinking I saw a review on Frontiere(s) on this site. Is there an alternate title for that one? That title definitely sticks out and I want to look into it some more.

[aeric_7734]

Frontière(s) is awesome, but I haven't seen it reviewed here. It's only available region B locked (doesn't like that's a problem for you, though) and without subtitles. From some of the digging that I've done, the PQ doesn't necessarily warrant the 15.48 Euro that amazon.fr is asking for it, and since I've already got the SD US release, I'm happy to stick with it until something with English subs comes along on blu. The only reviews up here that I know of out of the films I listed are Switchblade Romance and Martyrs, which you've clearly already found. The best synopsis of the SD DVD for Frontière(s) that I've found is here, though it seems to resort too much to comparing the film to others. I liked it a lot, though, personally.

[dfms23]

Originally Posted by aeric_7734

Frontière(s) is awesome, but I haven't seen it reviewed here. It's only available region B locked (doesn't like that's a problem for you, though) and without subtitles. From some of the digging that I've done, the PQ doesn't necessarily warrant the 15.48 Euro that amazon.fr is asking for it, and since I've already got the SD US release, I'm happy to stick with it until something with English subs comes along on blu. The only reviews up here that I know of out of the films I listed are Switchblade Romance and Martyrs, which you've clearly already found. The best synopsis of the SD DVD for Frontière(s) that I've found is here, though it seems to resort too much to comparing the film to others. I liked it a lot, though, personally.

Good info. Thanks for the 411. I am thinking about going with Martyrs. Region B is a problem for me but only for a short while longer. I have budgeted for a region free player. Will probably go with the Sherwood