Mark L. Smith has just penned a first draft for a remake of the acclaimed french Horror flick, Martyrs.

The guy has "Vacancy" to his credit, which is a bad thing. For me, at least.

The film is being produced by Wyck Godfrey, the mind behind such sh!tfests as AVP, I Robot (which was no more than brainless popcorn fodder) and the Twilight movies. Yes, the Twilight movies.

This douche is also pushing for Kristen "zero emotion" Stewart to play a lead in the remake.

Seriously -- did I die in my sleep and go to hell? These last couple of years have been terrible, cinema-wise, particularly in the mainstream Horror genre. Hopefully, this will die just like the Hellraiser remake did.

--Julio

Why would anyone want to re make this film in the first place is beyond me, the original was deplorable, and vile, I actually stopped it with 20 minutes left to go, maybe I am becoming more of a pussy, but I couldn't stomach it , and I can't think of anyone having a good time watching it.  If they re make this, good luck, it's one I know I would avoid.

The last twenty minutes of the original film were the most vile part of it, but it set the film up for its ending; which I did like. Otherwise, at least the first hour or so of the film play like a regular (and more than just decent) Horror flick.

But I understand -- it's not for everyone.

Fact remains: besides Let The Right One In, Martyrs is one of the most acclaimed Horror pictures of the past decade, and even considering a remake for it -- THAT is deplorable.




--Julio

Pascal Laugier is also returning to direct which I'd say is good news but it seems meaningless considering who else is involved. Never thought I'd see Twilight and Martyrs used in the same sentence. Does not compute. Hopefully Laugier can maintain some creative control and Kristen Stewart isn't cast.

That is, of course, if the film gets made at all which I sincerely hope isn't the case. The idea of Martyrs getting remade is just cringeworthy. The idea of Twilight people involved is worse than I could've ever expected. Hopefully, this will pull an Oldboy remake, completely fall apart and fans can forget this horrible thing ever happened. That or get such a backlash from fans that the studios pull the plug like they did with the Halloween/Hellraiser mash-up they tried to do a few years back.

Gotta agree with Reaper and James on this, Martyrs was fantastic. Disturbing, torturous and difficult but fantastic and a film that lingers long in the memory after you’ve watched it.

Knowing that the shameless Hollywood locomotive are seizing this with their remake/money grabbing machinery isn't surprising but very fu?king annoying nonetheless. And the news that they are tapping the guaranteed box office returns of a Twilight star to lead it is again not surprising but very fu?king annoying. They’ll probably water it down to a frickin’ PG if they get their way too.

Bah! Hollywood is so evil! Just don't go and watch the remake.

Quoted from Andrew Bah! Hollywood is so evil! Just don't go and watch the remake.

It's easy to say and makes sense on the surface. Unfortunately, there isn't really an alternative.

If you want to go to the cinema, you have to watch a Hollywood film. It's a complete monopoly.

You can't watch a film that isn't being presented. In the UK there are about three "independent" cinema's and even those are showing the likes of Babel, which stars major actors.

You simply don't have a choice. You can't even hire a DVD these days as all the rental places have shut.

You really have to dedicate time to finding out about films, something that the general audience isn't going to do.  

It's getting better, I would say. I've lived in Philadelphia and Washington DC and both of them have enough independent theaters that one actually has a choice. These are two completely different cities, aesthetically speaking, yet independent theaters are doing good business in both. Theaters in Paris seem to have a mix of both Hollywood and French films, with a very select few having other foreign films. Most of the French I talked to seemed to prefer Hollywood films but once again, there's a mix. Hollywood does have a monopoly and their films make tons of money so they're not going away anytime soon. I just think it's getting easier to find an alternative.

Regardless, Andrew's right. Don't watch the remake. I feel like a lot of movie buffs have the problem of complaining about a movie, seeing it opening weekend and continuing to complain, ironically becoming part of the problem in the process. No alternative? Watch something else. Or don't watch anything. Of course, mainstream audiences will watch it and probably enjoy it (or not care either way) which is fine. I just hate it when real movie fans feel obligated to watch the movies they despise and end up contributing for more of the same movies to be made.

Quoted from James McClung It's getting better, I would say. I've lived in Philadelphia and Washington DC and both of them have enough independent theaters that one actually has a choice. These are two completely different cities, aesthetically speaking, yet independent theaters are doing good business in both. Theaters in Paris seem to have a mix of both Hollywood and French films, with a very select few having other foreign films. Most of the French I talked to seemed to prefer Hollywood films but once again, there's a mix. Hollywood does have a monopoly and their films make tons of money so they're not going away anytime soon. I just think it's getting easier to find an alternative. Regardless, Andrew's right. Don't watch the remake. I feel like a lot of movie buffs have the problem of complaining about a movie, seeing it opening weekend and continuing to complain, ironically becoming part of the problem in the process. No alternative? Watch something else. Or don't watch anything. Of course, mainstream audiences will watch it and probably enjoy it (or not care either way) which is fine. I just hate it when real movie fans feel obligated to watch the movies they despise and end up contributing for more of the same movies to be made.

The French have a law that 25% of film shown have to be French....the UK doesn't protect its culture in the same way. They also have stringent rules on advertising (you can't advertise films on TV for instance) to stop the major companies having blanketing marketing rights over everything and to give smaller films a chance.

It's harder than ever to see independent films over here.

Of course, there is the argument that if people wanted to see those films they would do and they would be profitable so other cinemas would open etc, but people are so used to being told what to see by the multi-million pound advertising campaigns that saturate televsion that no independent film really gets a chance. I suppose it's not even really about independent films as such anyway...just different types of film (just different films would be a start!).

I agree that you have the choice not to watch it, but I also agree that most people will anyway because they probably haven't even heard of the French version.

It's pretty lame anyway, however you break it down.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films It's pretty lame anyway, however you break it down.

That about sums it up, although it's good to hear other countries are at least attempting to protect non-Hollywood films.

I think the real bright side is the original Martyrs was made. A film that essentially goes against all the Hollywood rules we've been taught as screenwriters actually exists and not only that, enough people saw it that Hollywood wanted to remake/destroy it. If there's anything good to be taken from the situation, it's this.

Yeah it's good that it was made. It is a shame that such a film orientated country like the US seems so averse to watching foreign films (massive generalisation there)...the Uk has a largely similar mindset I think, perhaps slightly less extreme. Part of the fun of films is to see how different cultures deal with things.

I think the European nations (I'm excluding the UK from that) are more open to foreign cinema. Even British film is more highly regarded in France than it is in the UK.

I don't have a problem with remakes per se...remaking old films is only really like re-staging Shakespeare which happens probably every day somewhere in the world...it's just kind of irritating when the films are so new the DVD press hasn't even had the chance to cool down.

I'm nodding grimly to everything ye're saying, gents, all true. A depressing and frustrating situation to be sure.

All one can do is not see the remake (if the reviews/feedback state that is it the recycled, lily livered crap we expect it to be) and recommend/promote the original to as many people as possible.

Oh...and screw the multiplexes, they deprive us of any real choice.

One more reason to not feel so guilty when downloading a film that showed in 10 theatres nationwide for a week...none of which were within a 100 miles of your town.

Wow, I guess I'm the only one who thought this movie was absolutely reprehensible, and the fact that i'm a big gore hound is kinda shocking, but watching a woman being beaten, tortured, mutilated then skinned alive isn't really entertaining to me. I could see if she was able to fight back or escape I  could see the point, I  mean the first 10 min was pretty cool, if the movie was about these two chicks taking down this organization, that be sweet, but its just watching a woman being tortured, and to me, i don't think that's a good time at the movies, especially in horror where it should be exciting or scary, but its not scary, just deplorable.

Having just watched this movie for the first time, I can tell you that no one in Hollywood has the guts to remake this properly. It's unspeakably vile and borderline reprehensible, which is fine as far as the original goes, because it has a point to it. It's a very vague point, but it's there if you're paying attention. If it was done properly, it might be worth a look, but I don't think American filmmakers have the balls to take a remake as far as it would need to go.

Quoted Text Wow, I guess I'm the only one who thought this movie was absolutely reprehensible, and the fact that i'm a big gore hound is kinda shocking, but watching a woman being beaten, tortured, mutilated then skinned alive isn't really entertaining to me. I could see if she was able to fight back or escape I  could see the point, I  mean the first 10 min was pretty cool, if the movie was about these two chicks taking down this organization, that be sweet, but its just watching a woman being tortured, and to me, i don't think that's a good time at the movies, especially in horror where it should be exciting or scary, but its not scary, just deplorable.

I thought the movie was genuinely creepy during its first hour. After that, I agree, it was no longer Horror; it was simply vile.  That being said, I appreciated it,  mainly because it shows graphic violence the way it should be: ugly and depressing. It was not aiming to excite you (Saw) or make you laugh with intentional camp (Hostel) -- to me, THAT is deplorable -- to make jest of something so serious. Martyrs shows it like it is, and few or no movies these days have the balls to do that.

Quoted Text Having just watched this movie for the first time, I can tell you that no one in Hollywood has the guts to remake this properly. It's unspeakably vile and borderline reprehensible, which is fine as far as the original goes, because it has a point to it. It's a very vague point, but it's there if you're paying attention. If it was done properly, it might be worth a look, but I don't think American filmmakers have the balls to take a remake as far as it would need to go.

I also don't think they've got the balls to pull it off. In any case, though, the producers seem to be more interested in the cult aspect of the film more so than the sibling-like relationship of the two girls and the brutality of the story.

--Julio

Quoted from ReaperCreeper That being said, I appreciated it,  mainly because it shows graphic violence the way it should be: ugly and depressing. It was not aiming to excite you (Saw) or make you laugh with intentional camp (Hostel) -- to me, THAT is deplorable -- to make jest of something so serious. Martyrs shows it like it is, and few or no movies these days have the balls to do that.

Dead right, Julio, couldn't agree with you more.

The same arguement can be said for the violence in the recent "The Killer Inside Me"

I thought the first half of Martyrs was much more interesting than the last.  I saw what the filmmaker was trying to say about crossing the point between humanity and the divine, but I don't think he said it as well as he could have.  I thought the first half of the story, the girl's brutal search for vengeance, was far more involving.  Come the second half, when her friend is captured and goes through what she goes through, I checked out.  Such a quick shift in storlyine, logic and plausibility put me right off the movie.

I wasn't offended by the gore at all.  Longtime horror genre fan, here, I've seen it all.  But despite my appreciation for the filmmaker trying to make a movie which extended beyond the genre's inherent trappings -- to whit, his attempt to tell a thoughtful, jarring and profound story and not just hammer us with relentless violence and gore -- I think the story contradicts itself for the sake of effect over logic.  Just my opinion, nothing more.

Director: Daniel Stamm (The Last Exorcism)

Good news: "And no, Kristen Stewart, contrary to early reports that polluted the web, will not be starring in the redo."

Bad news: "Martyrs is very nihilistic. The American approach [that I'm looking at] would go through all that darkness but then give a glimmer of hope. You don't have to shoot yourself when it's over." - Stamm

Source: http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=17212

Didn't see The Last Exorcism. Heard mixed things. I don't know. Not going to see this anyway.

Quoted from Lon I thought the first half of Martyrs was much more interesting than the last.

I felt the opposite. The first half was just (although brilliantly shot and acted) violence followed by violence while the second half gave (crazy as it was) the motivation behind the events. I know suspension of belief was required to buy into what the secret society were attempting but I was still fascinated nonetheless. It was gonna have to take something that far out to justify the extremities of what we had seen and I thought it succeeded. Sure, I woulda loved to have known what Anna whispered to Mademoiselle about what she had seen but regardless I still found the ending satisfying.

Quoted from James McClung "And no, Kristen Stewart, contrary to early reports that polluted the web, will not be starring in the redo." .

I'm not so bothered about Kristen Stewart as much as this statement:

Quoted from James McClung (quoting Daniel Stamm) "Martyrs is very nihilistic. The American approach [that I'm looking at] would go through all that darkness but then give a glimmer of hope. You don't have to shoot yourself when it's over.".

Fu?k him. First sign of the ever inevitable watering down treatment Hollywood loves to bestow upon any material that carries a bit of bite. This, it looks, will be no exception. Again, it’s the prioritising of commerce over art. Poo.

The nihilism of the film is what makes it so interesting.  "A Glimmer of hope."  That's what's wrong with this country (America), we so often cater to those who need a happy ending.  What makes a horror movie horrific is that it doesn't let the audience off the hook, it can look at the meaninglessness of existence and not make an excuse.  It can hold death up to us and say, "This is what waits for us all."  If that's not your cup of tea, I totally get that, but don;t take what many consider a modern classic in Martyrs and water it down for American consumption.  I think America has consumed enough mediocrity.

Well this blows. I was afraid they were going to hire someone like Rob Zombie to direct; but at least he wouldn't be bothering with some happy ending bullshit. Of course, he would've some how thrown in a couple of redneck rape scenes, but still...

There is a way to transpose this story to make it relevant to an American audience, but watering it down and diluting the existential nihilism is not it. Done right, this could have completely redefined the modern American horror film, but now it's nothing but another nail in Hollywood's coffin.