Review: ‘MEGALOMANIAC’ Has Gorgeous Moments, But is Ultimately Empty

So I’ve written about extreme horror before (you can read my article in defense of extreme horror here), so it’s no surprise that I jumped at the opportunity to review a new extreme film from Belgium directed by Karim Ouelhaj (Parabola): Megalomaniac.

Megalomaniac Synopsis

In 1997, the Butcher, one of world’s most notorious serial killers, strikes and abruptly vanishes. Now his children must carry on with his brutal legacy. They take over his wrath and fall into a world of absolute darkness.

This is the fictional story of the children of a real-life serial killer nicknamed ‘The Butcher of Mons,’ who left bags of dismembered women on roadsides and was never caught. The film explores the actions of the Butcher’s fictional children Felix (Benjamin Ramon– Cannibal) and Martha (Eline Schumacher – Des gens bien) as they carry on in his footsteps.

To be honest, all Felix really does in the film is stab women and mope around like Count Dracula’s morbidly depressed cousin. I can’t believe anyone would get within three miles of this creep. He has run for the hills written all over his face.

The most interesting of the two is Martha, who is forced to endure verbal misogyny and far worse from her factory co-workers. She starts as a passive victim until she watches Felix at his “work.” Her rage simmers quietly in the background until she decides to get her revenge.

Where to begin when describing my feelings about  Megalomaniac? This is a difficult watch, even for a regular viewer of extreme cinema. It is, for the most part, a film about women being kidnapped, raped, tortured, and murdered. While this has been a feature of many extreme films that I have loved in the past (Martyrs, Frontier(s), and Inside), it just felt more empty and pointless here. The message the director was going for here didn’t resonate with me. It’s a shame because he is certainly talented. It is only when Martha snaps that Megalomaniac turns from torture on screen to a real fleshed-out movie.

Unpleasantness aside, Megalomaniac has some stunning images that I’ll remember for a long time. But to be fair, this film certainly can never be used as a travel advertisement for Belgium. It looks like the worst place to visit since Paxton and friends stopped off in Slovakia in Hostel.

If you are a die-hard extreme fan, you may want to check this one out, but if that’s just not your thing, give this one a pass. Megalomaniac will hit theaters on September 8, 2023.