Far From Heaven (2002)

Great homage to Sirk's melodramas, with an affecting modern edge.

What Elvis said.

I personally prefer Martyrs to Frontier(s) as well. Frontier(s) had a similar theme to many other films before it. It was a decent little film and that's about it. But Martyrs was a lot more. Without revealing any spoilers I can safely say this, it is an experience, which rubs on badly into you and will stay for awhile.

Flavia The Heretic (1974)

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/...dc/FLAVIA1.jpg

>>: B+

Private Parts (1972)

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/...c/Pvtparts.jpg

>>: B+

I have a hard time comparing the two... I agree with Elvis, though I would be harsher on Frontier(s) because it's really not my genre...

I can easily lump Frontier(s) into your backwoods torture flick highly influenced by Texas Chainsaw Massacre (I think when I saw it I actually said it was a cross between TCM and Hostel). I throw it in the same bucket as Touristas and Wolf Creek - Icky little torture films that have shocking moments but ultimately do nothing for me.

Martyrs is a truly disturbing film, however. I consider it to be in a whole other universe of deep hopelessness and darkness, far apart from the little torture flicks mentioned above. Martyrs isn't just setting out to make you squirm. It wants to make you unhappy and drain all of the hope and happiness from your life. Also, it has a higher point and vision outside of just pure torture. When thinking about Martyrs, I'm reminded of Ebert's quote when reviewing Human Centipede: "The star rating system is unsuited to this film. Is the movie good? Is it bad? Does it matter? It is what it is and occupies a world where the stars don't shine."

weird double feature I watched last night

Werner Herzog's "Cave of Forgotten Dreams"---deep, thought provoking, enlightening

Jerry Lewis's "The Nutty Professor"----not so much

The Dead (2011): Looks good, nice style to it, but really fell short of what I hoped for. Ends up as just a slow, steady drudge through a desert jumping from one zombie encounter to the next.

I dunno- there's quite a dark tone to The Nutty Professor. I'm serious.

I agree.....haven't seen this one since I was a kid but I was half expecting Buddy Love to smack Stella Stevens.

So Martyrs is a much better film than Haute Tension, Frontiers, and Inside?

I have been pumping myself up to watch Martyrs for quite some time now-- I am PSYCHED. What kind of a mood should I expect to be in right after watching it, lol, I'm afraid to ask.

Hard to compare it to the films that you listed - It's really in its own class here. Also, I really liked Inside but not the other two.

Exploitation films in general really do a number on me, so I may be the wrong person to ask, but Martyrs truly filled me with a feeling of utter despair and hopelessness. I cried at the end out of the pure and utter bleakness of it all, and it haunted me for a while afterward. It's one of the most nihilistic and bleak films I've ever seen.