Free Great Movies Review
Director Alexandre Aja's High Tension works as a slasher exercise in building tension a la Hitchcock or De Palma or Argento with an added element of extreme violence that made it associated with the New French Extremity movies in the early 2000s. Aja uses all his tools as a filmmaker to tighten the screws as a slow moving serial killer murders a family at a house in the rural south of France. The film is certainly not for the squeamish which becomes apparent early on in a scene involving the serial killer and a decapitated head. The carnage continues through the rest of movie as Marie and Alex attempt to escape the homicidal maniac. There are a few head scratching moments as our lead Marie tries in vain to contact the police, but her continued incompetence is refreshing in the slasher genre. The movie concludes with a completely unnecessary and ridiculous twist, which drops it down a notch. Still it does produce the tense thrills which it promised and is worth a watch if you can stomach it. The Lionsgate R-rated version has some horrible English dubbing early on in the movie and eventually transitions into mostly subtitles.
Movie Description
High Tension is a 2003 French horror-thriller film directed by Alexandre Aja. The movie follows best friends Marie and Alex, played by Cecile de France and Maiwenn, respectively, who retreat to Alex's family home in the countryside for a weekend of study and relaxation. Their tranquility is shattered when a stranger invades the home, turning their peaceful retreat into a relentless night of terror. The film gained a following with its intense suspense, graphic violence, and its controversial twist ending. As one of the notable entries in the New French Extremity movement, High Tension helped launch Aja's international career, leading to his involvement in various successful horror projects in Hollywood.
(Summary by FreeGreatMovies.com)