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Horror Queers

Martyrs (2008)

Horror Queers

Horror Queers

Film Reviews, Lgbt Horror, Gay, Gay Horror, Queer Horror, Lgbt, Queer, Film History, Tv & Film

4.8854 Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2020

⏱️ 89 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

You asked for it (well, at least one of you did), and so we are finally covering the listeners' choice that was selected from our 2019 Listener Survey! That's right, we're discussing Pascal Laugier's controversial 2008 film Martyrs (aka the most anti-spoiler film ever made)! Big thanks to listener Brian Conmy for helping us pull the trigger on covering this masterful and deeply upsetting film. Major trigger warnings for anyone who has never seen Martyrs, because this film is one of the most disturbing films ever made. That's not hyperbole!  Join us as we discuss what might be the most extreme example of white privilege ever put on screen (seriously, these people are so rich that they seemingly have all the time in the world to torture young women just so they can find out what happens after we die) and assign a few different readings to the film, including a very positive queer reading that might turn a few people around on it. We'll also try to answer questions that have followed the film since its 2008 release, including but not limited to: Is it torture porn? Is it misogynistic? Does it have a purpose? Why would someone make this endurance test of a film? Oh! And as an added bonus, both of us secretly watched the 2015 American remake without telling the other one, so we spend a little bit of time comparing the two films (hint: the original is better). Lastly, here are all of the articles we reference in the episode: The New Extremism in Cinema: From France to Europe (eds: Tanya Horeck & Tina Kendall) Films of the New French Extremity: Visceral Horror and National Identity by Alex West Martyrs: Evoking France’s Cinematic and Historical Past by Daniel Totaro Martyrs by Scott Tobias The Philosophy of ‘Martyrs’: Transcendence in Torture by Andrew Couzens Keep Doubting: Why Martyrs is One of Horror's Most Biting Critiques on Systems of Violence and Oppression by Angi Martyrs (2008): Movie Plot Ending Explained at ThisBarry.com Questions? Comments? Snark? Connect with the boys via our brand new Twitter handle @horrorqueers, like our Facebook Page or join our Facebook Group. > Trace: @tracedthurman > Joe: @bstolemyremote Support the boys on Patreon and shop our online store for your very own Horror Queers merchandise!  Check out the NEW online Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Come to me.

0:01.4

Focus features invites you to succumb to the darkness.

0:05.2

Osferatu.

0:06.1

From director Robert Eggers comes a masterpiece of horror.

0:10.1

He is coming.

0:14.0

This creature is a force more powerful than evil.

0:18.5

It is death itself.

0:22.5

Nalsferatu. Wadu. Under 17.9 a meter without parent. Only in theater's Christmas

0:26.7

Day. Special engagement in Dolby and IMAX. Being a marketer is no sweat. You just have to

0:32.7

manage dozens of channels, launch hundreds of campaigns, score thousands of leads and... Okay,

0:36.4

fine. It's a lot of sweat.

0:38.2

Unless you have HubSpot's AI-powered marketing tools to help you do all that and more, get started at HubSpot.com slash marketers.

0:46.0

This is the bloody disgusting podcast network. Alice! Alice in Jesus Christ, hurry!

1:08.0

Please!

1:17.7

And welcome back to horror queers. We're talking torture.

1:19.5

We're talking martyrs.

1:21.8

And we're talking lesbians.

1:25.0

And I'm Joe.

1:25.9

And I'm Trace.

1:26.9

And we're talking what is probably the only film to leave me, like, feeling empty inside for a significant amount of time after seeing it.

1:35.3

Oh, God.

1:36.2

Oh, dear.

...

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