Haute Tension (2003)
Starring Cécile De France, Maïwenn Le Besco
& Philippe Nahon
Directed by Alexandre Aja
Written by Alexandre Aja & Grégory Levasseur

 

When Lions Gate, Europacorp (French filmmaker Luc Besson’s production company), and French filmmakers Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levassuer released “High Tension” in 2003 with ads stating “It will scare the hell out of you!”, they weren’t kidding. This brisk little French horror film introduced Aja and Levassuer to American audiences.

The two would go on to make 2006’s remake of “The Hills Have Eyes”, 2008’s “Mirrors” and the upcoming 2010 “Piranha 3-D”. They also wrote and produced the tense 2007 thriller “P2”. P2’s director, Franck Khalfoun, has a cameo in “High Tension” as Jimmy, the doomed gas station clerk.

Aja is a member of the unofficial Splat Pack, a term coined by film historian Alan Jones in “Total Film” magazine for a new wave of directors making brutally violent horror films. The other Splat Pack members are Darren Lynn Bousman, Neil Marshall, Greg McLean, Eli Roth, James Wan, Leigh Whannell and Rob Zombie.

“High Tension”, released internationally as “Haute Tension” or “Switchblade Romance”, is a bloody, thrilling, violent and original horror movie. Some of its ingredients include blood, gore, chainsaws, knives, axes, guns, brutal and graphic killings, French hotties, deviant behavior, blood, gore, and insipid French pop music blaring from car radios. Did I mention blood and gore?

The film begins innocently enough with two young and sexy French women on a drive to the country. Their radio blasts the latest French pop song and they don’t seem to have a care in the world. They’re mainly trying to get past the previous night’s hangover and have a fun vacation. Alex (played by Maiwenn Le Bosco) and Marie (Cecile De France) have a brief kitchen chat about available guys and which one of the two girls are more likely to hook up with someone.

They arrive at Alex’s family’s home in the country. The fun and carefree atmosphere won’t last too long. Marie is re-introduced to Alex’s family (parents, younger brother) and after everyone calls it a night, Marie is restless and goes out for a smoke.

Marie returns to the house and goes upstairs to her room for some private time. Everyone else has retired to their own rooms and it looks to be a pleasant night. That is until an old delivery truck drives up and the driver walks up to the house’s front door. The doorbell rings and as Alex’s father answers it, he is stabbed repeatedly by the delivery man Le tueur (Philippe Nahon), and then decapitated.

The deaths of Alex’s mother and little brother are equally cruel. Marie hides in a room and tries to remain as quiet as possible as the killer searches for more victims. The killer finds Alex’s mother and after another brutal stabbing, the killer leaves her in the room for dead. Marie, hiding in the room’s closet, sees Alex’s mother gasping for air as if she is trying to say something to Marie. Alex’s little brother manages to escape the house, only to be shot in the field by the killer.

After the brutal murders of her family members, Alex is taken by the killer. She is tied up and thrown into the back of the killer’s truck. Before the truck leaves the house, Marie is able to sneak into the back and give Alex a knife. Marie hides with Alex in the back until the truck stops at a remote roadside gas station.

When the killer starts to pump some gas into the truck, Marie sneaks out and goes into the mini mart. Marie tells the store clerk (Jimmy) to call the police. She is so scared that the killer hasn’t stopped his killing spree. Before she can leave the store, the killer enters the mini mart. Marie hides and then witnesses another vicious killing. This time it’s the clerk who meets his doom.

The killer goes back to the truck and leaves the station. Meanwhile, Marie takes the clerk’s car and chases the killer down an isolated road. The killer discovers her and rams her car against a tree.

Marie is able to leave the smashed car on foot, and a chase begins. The killer will stop at nothing to find and kill her. However, Marie has a few tricks up her sexy t-shirt sleeve and defends herself. Marie is quite the heroine as she outwits the killer.

With the killer lying dead, Marie makes her way back to the truck and Alex. Then, the gorefest begins. Well, the gorefest that viewers have been waiting to see.

One of the last scenes of the movie repeats a sequence from the beginning of the movie, except that there is a twist. “High Tension” gives you an ending that you weren’t really expecting. This is one reason that “High Tension” is more satisfying than the typical horror/gore slasher movie.

Alex is truly terrified and trusts no one. Marie unties her, and Alex waves the knife she was given earlier and is able to cut Marie’s face. Marie does her best to try to calm Alex down. At this point, however, Alex is truly full of “high tension” and can’t control her actions.

The unrated version doesn’t disappoint. You can even watch it with a French spoken language track or English-dubbed language track. It is one of the better and more terrifying shockers of recent years.

The revelation at the end ties up the story very neatly. Repeated viewings will give you some “a-ha” moments that you may have missed the first time. If you have never seen “High Tension” and thought it was only a sexy little thriller about two young French women, you’ll be in for quite a ride.