We brave the brutal and nasty French horror film “Martyrs” and explore why it’s often cited as one of the greatest horror films of all time.
On this episode of The Final Girl on 6th Ave, host Carolyn Smith-Hilmmer takes a deep dive into the unforgettably harrowing psychological horror film Martyrs, part of the New French Horror Extremity movement. This terrifying, relentlessly brutal, and painful film is hard to watch. But it’s also essential viewing for hardcore horror fans who aren’t afraid to brave the depths of depravity to discover a remarkable piece of deeply affecting art. – Stephanie (Editor-in-Chief)
SHOW NOTES FROM HOST CAROLYN SMITH-HILLMER:
In terms of films that have impacted my life, this one might take the cake. MARTYRS (2008) is a journey into the impact of the trauma suffered by Lucie and her lifelong best friend, Anna, after Lucie tasks Anna with cleaning up a home invasion that ends up in a family annihilation. Join me as I discuss what it means to be a martyr and how the afterlife may not be what you imagine it is.
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SOURCES
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1029234/
New French Horror/Extremity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Extremity#Themes_and_characteristics
ABOUT THE SHOW:
The Final Girl on 6th Ave is a weekly show where host, Carolyn Smith-Hillmer, dissects an arthouse/elevated horror film. Each episode includes a detailed play-by-play of the film itself and a subsequent deep dive into the thematic elements and symbolism. Because elevated horror is sometimes viewed within the horror community as pretentious, Carolyn makes sure to use her down-to-earth tone and unique perspective to make these films less intimidating for the casual horror viewer and less ostentatious for the genre lover.
Listen to more episodes on the show’s website here.
The Final Girl on 6th Ave is a bi-weekly podcast where host Carolyn Smith-Hillmer reviews arthouse horror films in a non-pretentious way.
The holiday season often makes me feel sentimental. Because of that, I present to you all, dear listeners, a very special episode. Not special in the way that it is my best work, or in the way that is a particularly “good” analysis. This episode is special to me because it is the first podcast episode that I have ever recorded. It is a small piece of history and an example of how far this show has come. I recorded this only to share with two to three people as an example of the show that I might start to regularly publish. And now, I would like to share it with you all for the first time.
Please be kind and know that we all start from somewhere. Being that this episode was a practice exercise for myself, it is nowhere near the product of what I would hope to release. The audio quality is not great. I was nervous. I had no idea what I was doing. But we all start somewhere, right?
Additionally, I would like to say that this will be the last episode of The Final Girl on 6th Ave for the year 2023. I will taking the month of December off to spend time with family and relax. I look forward to bringing you all of the spooky arthouse content you all enjoy with a fresh mind in January 2024!




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