_V_, both of those last two recommendations sound really intriguing.
Martyrs (2008)
I was gut-punched by this movie for the first time a couple months ago. Ever since then, it's been begging for a second viewing. With so many other movies that I haven't seen, it's tough to re-watch a movie so soon. I had to though. I had to know if this movie was really that good, or if it just happened to affect me in exactly the right way on that particular day.
Verdict: It really is that good. At least, for me it is.
Even knowing ahead of time of the curveballs about to be thrown, I was mouth-agape for the entire duration. With so much variety, so much intensity, and all executed with skill and, dare I say, finesse, this movie has a little bit of something for everybody, while also being almost too much for anybody. Even the pacing is brilliant -- starting slow, shifting quickly to lightning speed, then slowing down again for the final act, while actually ramping up the emotional intensity to near-unbearable levels. And, similar to Cannibal Holocaust's use of real war atrocity footage intermixed with fictional violence, the exploitative use of real-death photographs of "martyrs" ensures the viewer is off-kilter prior to entering the final, sickening chapter.
Speaking of that final chapter... Being my second viewing, I was properly bracing myself for it for the entire lead-up, which in some ways, actually made the movie scarier the second time. Once the torture started, I kept telling myself, "Okay, there's 20 minutes more of this." The armrest of my couch may still be indented with the place my white knuckles clenched it.
I know some might complain that the movie is disjointed or lacks coherence or consistency, or perhaps is confused about what "type" of horror movie it is, but I truly believe it is exactly what it is intended to be. And that makes for a painfully wild ride. Thumbs way up. 9/10.