Not particularly — Martyrs's appeal is atmospheric or thematic rather than overtly scary. As a cult film, it scored 3.0/10 for fear, 5.0/10 for atmosphere, and 7.5/10 overall on Watch Darkly's curator scale across 1 rating.

How many jump scares are in Martyrs?

Martyrs has 15 jump scares, based on Watch Darkly's per-film jump-scare count.

What are some films like Martyrs?

Martyrs is tagged as cult on Watch Darkly. The film's page lists similar horror films selected by curated scoring across fear, gore, atmosphere, and overall quality.

Metadata and artwork from TMDB. Not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

bleak

Martyrs

2008 · R · 1h 39m · French

They haven't finished being alive.

A young woman’s quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tortured her as a child leads her and her best friend, also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.

Plot summary via TMDB

Curator Score

7.5

Overall

Based on 1 curator rating

Strongest on gore and intensity.

Jump scares

Martyrs has 15 jump scares. Compare counts

Add your rating

7.5Overall

Fear3.0

Gore10.0

Atmosphere5.0

Intensity10.0

Genres

dramahorrorthriller

Rate this film

Details

Budget$6.5M

Box office$1.1M

Directed by

Pascal Laugier

Written by

Pascal Laugier

Cinematography

Nathalie Moliavko-Visotzky, Bruno Philip, Stéphane Martin

Music

Alex Cortés, Willie Cortés

Starring

Morjana Alaoui as Anna Assaoui · Mylène Jampanoï as Lucie Jurin · Catherine Bégin as Mademoiselle · Robert Toupin as Father · Patricia Tulasne as Mother · Juliette Gosselin as Marie · Xavier Dolan as Antoine · Jean-Marie Moncelet as Étienne

Production

Eskwad, TCB Films, Wild Bunch

Metadata and artwork from TMDB. Not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

bleak

Martyrs

2008 · R · 1h 39m · French

They haven't finished being alive.

Plot summary via TMDB

Curator Score

7.5

Overall

Based on 1 curator rating

Strongest on gore and intensity.

Jump scares

Martyrs has 15 jump scares. Compare counts

Add your rating

7.5Overall

Fear3.0

Gore10.0

Atmosphere5.0

Intensity10.0

Genres

dramahorrorthriller

Rate this film

Details

Budget$6.5M

Box office$1.1M

Directed by

Pascal Laugier

Written by

Pascal Laugier

Cinematography

Nathalie Moliavko-Visotzky, Bruno Philip, Stéphane Martin

Music

Alex Cortés, Willie Cortés

Starring

Production

Eskwad, TCB Films, Wild Bunch

Reviews

blessedmakerCurator

May 23, 2026

Overall7.5Fear3Atmos.5Gore10

It's hard to know why the things on the sceen are happening. I guess that's the point, until you find out. I stayed to find out and the pay off wasn't quite there. It's a brutal watch. I could stomach it, but not for the faint of heart.

Read all reviews