Haute tension
Tags: suspenseful, murder, stupid, violence, horror, plot twist, flashback, insanity, psychedelic, romantic, sadist

Plot synopsis:
College girlfriends Marie (Cécile de France) and Alex, or Alexia (Maïwenn Le Besco), are on their way to stay at Alex's parent's house for the weekend. When they arrive, Alex gives Marie a tour of the house before they settle down for dinner. After dinner, Marie and Alex get ready to go to bed.As Alex sleeps, Marie lies on her bed listening to music and masturbating. Marie hears a doorbell ring and Alex's father responding. The man at the door is a serial killer (Philippe Nahon), who slashes Alex's father and decapitates him. Marie hears all this from her bedroom. She arranges her room to make it appear that no one is staying there, and hides under her bed. The killer inspects Marie's room but doesn't find her. Marie creeps downstairs and finds Alex chained in her bedroom. Promising to find help, she sneaks into the parent's room to find a phone. After hearing loud thuds, she hides in the closet, and witnesses the killing of Alex's mother. Alex's younger brother escapes the house but is followed to the fields by the killer and shot. Alex is dragged into the killer's truck. Marie sneaks into the truck with a butcher knife and hides there with Alex.When the killer stops at an all-night gas station to refuel his small truck, Marie hands Alex the knife and sneaks into the gas station before him. While hiding behind a row, she witnesses the killer talk for a while to the convenence store clerk before paying for the fuel, and then when the clerk goes to one of the locked shelves to aquire a bottle of whisky that the killer asks for, the killer viciously kills the clerk with a fire axe. Marie hides in a downstairs restroom while the killer goes to releave himself. After the killer drives away, Marie tries calling the police, but becomes frustrated and hangs up.Marie takes the clerk's car keys and chases the killer down a deserted road. The killer notices Marie following him, and rams into Marie's vehicle, pushing her car off the road injuring her with a minor head wound. Exiting on foot, Marie runs into the forest, and the killer follows her. Eventually, Marie mortally wounds the killer with a pole that has barbed wire wrapped around it. As Marie inspects the body, he grabs at her throat, so Marie suffocates him with a plastic sheet. After that, she makes her way back to the truck.Meanwhile, the police investigating the gas station murders view the in-store videotape... and see Marie murdering the store clerk. At the truck, Marie unties Alex. As soon as Alex is free, she threatens Marie with the knife and accuses her of butchering her family. Alex slashes Marie's face and stabs her in the stomach before running into the forest. Marie/The Killer chases Alex with a concrete saw. Alex finds a road and flags down a car. As Alex is climbing into the car, Marie appears brandishing the concrete saw. Marie shoves the concrete saw through the wind shield and disembowels the driver. A stray piece of glass slices Alex's Achilles tendon. Alex takes a crowbar from the car's toolbox and crawls along the road. Marie forces Alex to tell her that she loves her, and kisses her. While engaged in the kiss, Alex lunges the crowbar into the killer's chest and through her back while the killer proclaims how she'll never let anyone come between them.The final scene shows the scarred Marie in a psychiatric hospital room, and Alex watching her through a one way mirror. Marie grins and reaches for Alex, aware that she is behind it.

Review: It is a very irregular film, but it still boasts good style and good manners in atmosphere-building, even if it doesn't really live up to meet the expectations, at least for me.The story goes about Marie and Alexia, best friends who drive up to Alexia's parents' countryside house, hoping to find some peace for studying.
Everything in those first sequences tells us that something horrible is going to happen, not only because we already know that we're watching a horror film.
That in itself is terrifying, and as it unfolded on me I was stunned.Part of me thinks that this movie could have done much better without all the horror, but I'm not sure that the film would have carried on the tension and suspense alone, it's the very presence of the horror that adds to and heightens the pressure.A very stylish, tense film, truly a suspense-thriller-horror to be proud of from the French.
In fact, just about everything that can bleed does bleed in this movie, and does so copiously.High Tension, aka Switchblade Romance (much better title) is the best horror movie I've seen come out in theaters in years.
After so many times hearing "this is the movie horror fans have been waiting for" and then being horribly disappointed by Cabin Fever, The Ring, Malevolence, Darkness, The Grudge, and every single other one, I am throwing my full weight behind this one.
The plot is simple and straightforward, the acting, even dubbed, is interesting (and despite complaints of why only parts of it were dubbed, if you watch closely and pay attention to who speaks French and who is dubbed, it actually makes perfect sense and fits with the movie), the cinematography is strangely artistic, almost gialli-like, the bloodletting stylish and gruesome, the sound design incredible, the tension almost unwavering.
Cecile de France's physical performance is stunning, the fear on her face, the tension in every limb, the breath rate, the pain, everything, and the sheer madness that Maiwenn's character endures is perfectly conveyed by the utter despair she is able to convey even with a gag in her mouth most of the time.An, of course, a quick word on the ending.
The ending of this movie is great, not only does it take an extremely well made but somewhat shallow gore pic to a whole new level with some interesting things to say about...
well, I won't say on account of not spoiling it, but yes, it actually does make sense if you've watched the movie carefully and have enough intellect to think about it on your own rather than just taking at face value what you've seen.
I halfway wonder if the twist wasn't in part a snobby French joke Aja decided to play to see if we lulled, summer blockbuster-fed Americans could figure it out and realize that everything works without being spoon-fed exactly how it works.8 / 10 - which makes it twice as good as the next best horror movie to come out in theatres in a decade.
The only thing that keeps it from attaining a perfect 10 is that, although the tension is cranked up high for most of it and the scares are a thing that will haunt you more after walking out of the movie than when you're watching, the suspense does kind of flag unexpectedly in a few key places.
"Haute Tension" is one of the best horror films I have seen in years.
Wes Craven had reportedly seen "Haute Tension" at Sundance and has hand picked Alexander Aja to remake "The Hills Have Eyes" and have free artistic licence since Craven had pegged him as the "future of horror." There is even a plot twist which you will either love or hate but it fits in well with the film.
All in all, this is a French film that deserves to be seen in American multiplexes and a must see for horror movie fans the world over who have been having to settle for mediocre horror for many years now..
And as much as I love Sixth Sense, as much as I respect what Shyamalan has done to help redefine horror, too many of today's film makers try to emulate him and screw things up.HIGH TENSION, for the first 80 minutes of the movie is a true testament to the basic primal animal that we are, or can be.
This has the look and feel of a 70's guts on the wall horror film and for that, I applaud Alexandre Aja for writing and directing a film that looks like it had very little studio intervention and as such the film is about as shocking a film as you will see from any North American distributed film.High Tension's strength is that it is about as violent and blood soaked as any film from the period that it pays homage to.
Here, it is just plain wrong.High Tension scores a 9/10 from me because it is about as good a horror film I have seen in the last ten years.
There has been a lot of hype about this film amongst gore hounds and horror movie buffs.
Switchblade Romance is more of a Texas Chainsaw Massacre style horror driven slasher than a Giallo; the film clearly knows this also, with a direct homage to the seventies classic towards it's climax.
As a horror film fan, I have wanted to see "High Tension" for a while, ever since I saw the delectably violent trailer and clips.
Still, the film is a haunting exploration of the darkest corners of the human psyche; a portrait that doubles, or maybe masquerades, as a slasher.Cécile De France is good in the role of Marie, showing grit, nerve and, dare I say, tension when the role calls for it.
I rented High Tension one weekend and this movie is the answer to the question many horror fans always ask ...
It somehow made all that came before it not as great as it had seemed, And most definitely will ruin any future viewings of this film.My advice, DO NOT buy this due to word of mouth, Rent it first, Horror fans wont regret it, I didn't.
Nothing New. Sorry, but this movie had absolutely nothing new or wild to offer the horror genre.Needless to say, you can see everything coming and determine the outcome of each scene.And yes, the ending isn't a shocker at all if you have a brain in your head.
In a nutshell, this is just another low budget horror with terror and torture at the forefront.The film does have some decent acting and some strong music, but the hallmark of any film is the story - and this movie does not deliver on that front.Save your money and save your time..
'Haute Tension' is a French slasher film that has a great look and an effective soundtrack.
Well, what usually happens with far too many horror films; the ending did not match up to the rest of the movie.
Next as the movie goes on the killer shows up and does what killers do...I'm fine with the not motives, no real connection between the killer and the victims...That's all fine, but what happened with the killer, Marie, and Alex, was just physically impossible...And I really tried to make excuses for the ending, because there's no way that in this modern age of film-making that an entire crew would allow this crap to be finalized.
A bit too real if you will.Now, Haute Tension (High Tension) is definitely the latter.I have seen like a billion horror films (from Argento to new-wave Japanese horror) and this is the first film to actually make me squirm and be genuinely scared for a long time.
Haute Tension in its original form is one of the most exhilarating horror films to have emerged on the scene for many a year....a magnificent, nail biting throwback to the glorious years of Halloween, Hills Have Eyes, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and so on.
For those who love horror, blood, and gore (count me in), "High Tension" is the movie for you!
This movie would have been better if the majority of the US trailers didn't reveal every major scene including the ENDING of the movie.Talk about poor marketing on the part of the distributor.The movie itself is nothing more than a hyped up gore flick not in the vein of the previous demented classics but one in which the hype out weighs the talents or film focus.One is better off with Ringu or other foreign films than wasting time with a very boring movie with a bit of graphic violence.Many will wonder if the movies was edited to fit the average attention span of the American viewer of such a poorly orchestrated film..
I heard this flick was a bit like my favorite horror film in a long time, Identity (8/10), so I decided to see it.
I've just watched Haute Tension, its 2:15am and I'm in the house on my tod feeling more than a little uneasy....Haute Tension is everything you want in a horror film and have done for the last 20 years.
The subtle music score is a great flow with Aja's chilling atmosphere.High Tension is a horror film of the highest degree.
Marie hides from the criminal and tries to help the hysterical and frightened Alexia, chasing the maniac and disclosing his identity in the end.The beginning of "Haute Tension" is similar to other slash movies, with a sadistic murderer slashing the whole family including the little boy and the dog.
However, after the surprising twist where the identity of the killer is disclosed, I found "Haute Tension" an excellent horror movie, with a brilliant screenplay, actually one of the best in the slash genre ever.
Maybe because I was so enthralled by this film, that didn't notice the passage of time, but I actually checked my watch at the end - this is indeed a short film at only 1 hour and 27 minutes.The blood and gore was great, though I don't know if I am just desensitised, but was it all that extreme?
Title: High Tension (2005) Director: Alexandre Aja Cast: Cecile de France, Maiwenn Le Besco, Philippe Nahon Review: There's been so many slasher films over the years, that when a new one comes out well, it hardly feels like you are going to watch something new and refreshing.
But every now and then a movie like High Tension comes along and suddenly everythings alright in the horror movie world.This French film (aka Haute Tension) is about two best friends, two gal pals who in order to study for their collage finals decide to go to a quiet house in the woods to find peace and solace in order to be able to get the most out of their studying.
The crucial features of the movie are as follows:-the old clapped out rusty/creepy old 'van' / several thousand litres of blood / a funked up twist at the end / there were quite a few 'jumps' (due to the insane volume of haute tension probably) / classic weapons and new innovative weapons (such as wood + barbed-wire) / and a decent enough story.I do usually enjoy the American country horror flicks, and was doubting the french could pull it off, but they did...although i'm not sure how i feel about the twist at the end yet.
So to summarise - if you enjoy ketchup, and would still like it to accompany such delicacies as fries, burgers or a hot dog to name but a few, maybe you shouldn't watch it.But on a serious note, this has everything you need from a horror movie...so go pack some spare undies and indulge in some Haute Tension..
If you like high tension films (go figure) that will leave you just a bit disturbed afterwards, SEE IT!!
French filmmaker Alexandre Aja writes and directs the brutal slasher film Haute Tension, given the English title Switchblade Romance.
There's hardly any difference between the novel and the first hour of this putrid french drivel, except for the fact that the flick is crude and primitive while the book is possibly Koontz's best.The remaining 20 minutes of this awful film consist essentially of the one "original" idea (i.e. not directly stolen from Koontz, but simply from a few movies that used the same kind of an idea and did it better) - a moronic "twist", no doubt added by the thief who directed it in a hopeless attempt to hide the stolen plot and avoid a law suit from Koontz.
Let shocktober begin.Movie review from 8/1 (m being lazy):Haute Tension.If you want to see a really good slasher flick with the OMG moments in it,you have come to the right place.Please make sure to see the French version,not the American remake.Anyway,the movie revolves around 2 friends on vacation with family that turns into a nightmare after being stalked by a maniac that begins killing everything that moves.The gore is excellent with many quality kills.The acting is top notch(if you can get over subtitles)and the two friends are bonafide perfect in their roles.The movie looks beautiful in scenery even if limited to a designed area.There is not a negative thing to say about this movie at all.So what are you waiting for, shocktober started 2 days ago, and I assure you, when you watch this you will be compelled to comment about it.
Add to this a plot twist that will have you stunned and you've got the best horror film to come along in two decades.Acting?
First off watch the french version not the English dub thats why its such bad acting and also if you have a brain on your shoulders you wont be confused at the ending.This movie is about two college friends who go to their parents house and run into a load of trouble when they are stalked by a serial killers on the loose.This movie was a great definition of french horror.
French horror movies always seem to have weird stories but Im starting to like them more and more..
The film has a twist ending that isn't too great What makes it bad is the fact that one too many hints are mentioned that are completely miss able.
Overall, director Alexandre Aja is headed in the right direction, and if he can hold back with making stuff like THE HILLS HAVE EYES(2005), he could be one of the best and most talented horror film makers out there.Rated NC-17 for strong graphic violence..
I can't deny the fact that the ending is so poorly conceived that the rest of the movie is tainted by it, yet I still think this is one of the best slasher films ever made.
When I had first watched High Tension it was completely in French with no subtitles so I couldn't understand what they were saying but I figured the plot was easy to follow (it's a slasher flick, but an intelligent and good one) but last night I watched it again (this time with English subtitles) and I respect and enjoyed the movie a WHOLE lot more.High Tension is definitely one to see once it hits here in the States (which currently is slated to be released on June 10th.) The film is full of scares and tension (hence the name High Tension) also LOTS of blood!
Though I think that's for the better (for some scenes at least) but I'd love to see the audience's reaction to the (uncut) blood & gore.I love this movie and I'm going to watch it again for a 3rd time and maybe again a 4th time too and I'll definitely be going to see it once it hits theaters here in the US!
Fortunately, Haute Tension (the brilliant UK re-titling Switchblade Romance makes sense once you've seen the film) is beautifully shot, very well acted and has enough style, craft and directorial good taste to impress.
It's not easy to express the feeling a true horror fan has when a movie like this come by, The unease feeling...the Horror...The shock Value...The Tension...Because i can assure you when you see this film you'll know why is it called "High Tension".
I never ever though that France could give us a movie so good, so complete and so full of cool homages to some of the best in horror like the original Texas Chainsaw massacre and Jeepers Creeper's between others.
Better than Se7en or Saw. This is a movie that I don't think many people have seen because they may not know about what it entails and therefore may not watch it at all.I highly recommend this movie if you like Se7en, any of the Hannibal movies, or Saw.High Tension is basically a movie about a serial killer with a very cool twist at the end of the movie that I GUARANTEE you won't see coming.The beginning of the movie was drab while it establishes the characters, but once the movie gets about 23 minutes in, the rest of the movie will be tense and very gory at times.What I like about this movie is that it actually could happen.
High Tension literally feels like two movies.
'Haute Tension' starts out as one of the most intense horror films of all time.
So I really don't get that, there are more brutal movies out there.Haute Tension is about two girls who go to one friends parents house to study.
I have to admit, when I saw this film for the first time, I was a little disappointed after finishing it because it seemed like almost every scary movie at that time was using the same plot twist.
At last, a good french horror film!.
so, 'Haute Tension' if it is accepted in the way that I believe it should will do wonders to not only horror movies but to film in general.