Want to sip on some Belgian arthouse horror and feel . . . bad? Then Megalomaniac is brewed just for you.
Hold onto your butts! Grindhouse horror is not through with you yet, Horror Hounds! Megalomaniac, an award-winning feature from Writer/Director Karim Ouelhaj is upon us this month. The film is violent, subversive, and utterly enthralling as the extreme is showcased on film, leaning into the beautiful in all the brutality.
Megalomaniac deals with the descendants of the Butcher of Mons, a notorious Belgian serial killer from the 1990s. And the kids are not alright. Opening with a woman chained to a table as she gives birth to Martha, the second of his kids, Megalomaniac doesn’t waste time in unsettling its audience. The scene is horrific and made all the more grotesque as Felix, the serial killer’s first-born looks on.
Inspired by a true story involving the Butcher of Mons, a serial killer case which is still unsolved, Megalomaniac is not for everyone. This is definitely from the stickier side of the aisle in ANY movie house. To me, this makes this subgenre offering a MUST-SEE as it doesn’t bat an eye in its depictions as the two children grow up and take their residence in a rundown and gothic-looking house.
Unstable and riddled with insecurities, Martha (Eline Schumacher) lives vicariously through social media. Her story is made even more tragic by the repeat rapes at her place of work. Social media, it seems, is her only release from the nightmarish world she inhabits as her brother, Felix (Benjamin Ramon), who absolutely crushed by the family legacy, takes over their father's killings.
The screams from the house are terrifying. Be prepared. There is a labyrinth of women tucked away here. The graphic conditions are truly shocking to the unprepared. And, so too, are the imaginings rendered on the screen as Martha succumbs to the madness and journeys through the looking glass into the strange and terrifying world inhabited by her brother.
Ratcheting up the tension with low-lighting and slowly moving shots, cinematographer François Schmitt toys with the audience throughout the film, showcasing the set design in such a way that suspense is created with an ease which is to be emulated. The grotesque is strong with this one as two nightmarish worlds become one and, with this merging, we have an unsettling truth about their existence . . .
. . . and with it, a climax which is not to be missed.
Co-starring Wim Willaert, Pierre Nisse, Raphaëlle Lubansu, Megalomaniac will be in select theaters and on digital platforms, like iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, and more, on September 8th. I dare you to look away.
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 118 mins
Director: Karim Ouelhaj
Writer: Karim Ouelhaj
Cast: Eline Schumacher; Benjamin Ramon; Hélène Moor
Genre: Horror
Tagline: Terror is hereditary.
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Dark Star Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: September 8, 2023
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: Martha and Félix are the children of the Butcher of Mons, a notorious Belgian serial killer from the 1990s. Unstable and riddled with insecurities, Martha lives vicariously through social media. Her brother, crushed by the family legacy, takes over their father's killings. Harassed and violently assaulted at work, the docile Martha falls into madness and goes through the looking glass into the strange and terrifying world inhabited by her brother.
