Haute tension (2003)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Alexandre Aja

Writers:

Alexandre Aja (writer)
Grégory Levasseur (writer)

Release Date:

10 June 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Hearts will bleed.

Plot:

Two college friends, Marie and Alexa, encounter loads of trouble (and blood) while on vacation at Alexa's parents' country home when a mysterious killer invades their quiet getaway.

Plot Keywords:

Student | Blood | Chase | Bound And Gagged | Unrequited Love

Awards:

4 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Cécile De France	...	Marie
Maïwenn Le Besco	...	Alexia (as Maïwenn)
Philippe Nahon	...	Le tueur
Franck Khalfoun	...	Jimmy
Andrei Finti	...	Alex's Father
Oana Pellea	...	Alex's Mother
Marco Claudiu Pascu	...	Tom
Jean-Claude de Goros	...	Police Captain
Bogdan Uritescu	...	Gendarme
Gabriel Spahiu	...	Homme voiture

Also Known As:

Switchblade Romance (International: English title) (UK) (DVD box title)
High Tension (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic bloody killings, terror, sexual content and language. (edited version); Rated NC-17 for strong graphic violence.

Runtime:

91 min | Germany:85 min (DVD version) | South Korea:84 min (re-cut version) | USA:89 min (edited version)

Country:

France

Language:

French | English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS (US version) | Dolby Digital (US version) | Dolby Digital EX (original version)

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:R (edited for re-rating) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Australia:R | Czech Republic:15 | Sweden:15 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Argentina:16 | Portugal:M/18 | USA:R (cut) | USA:Unrated (DVD rating) | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (cut) (DVD rating) (uncut) | Germany:18 (SPIO/JK) (cut) | Austria:18 | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Canada:R (Alberta) | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Norway:18 | Singapore:R21 | South Korea:Limited (original rating) | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R (edited version) | Germany:18 (cut) | Canada:16+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Bucharest, Romania

Company:

Alexandre Films

Trivia:

The camera used during the car-attack scene got so much fake blood on it during shooting that when it was being used on another film later on fake blood oozed from it during the focusing of a shot.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the killer is walking along opening the toilet doors in search of Marie, you can see the camera reflected in the white tiles on the walls of the restroom.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Marie: I won't let anyone come between us any more.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Crossover (2006)

Soundtrack:

New Born

The highest tension imaginable

Let's clarify first. Haute Tension is not Friday 13 or Scream. While the first was really an exploitation movie and the second is more focused on comedy than in horror, this one, as the title suggest is only concern of giving you the creeps and by the end twist your mind in the most Lynchenian way.

Young women (Alex) and her best friend (Marie) visit her parents. Out of the blue a killer appears killing the whole family and kidnapping Alex and Marie follows the killer, trying to rescue her friend.

Is that all? Well, not really. There are a lot of unexpected surprises that I can not spoil here. The movie is built on logic situations (not in teens taking bath, drinking or using drugs) but in everyday people that suddenly get attacked from some monster (if you think is unreal just read the news). The killer personality has some kind of development. We barely see his face, but his acts follows a certain logic, which makes him more horrifying that any Jason on the market. HE IS REAL!!!

But are the actors the ones good enough to transmit you their fear and despair and create the thrilling environment this movie required and very few others are able to get.

Now to the gore. The killings are really far beyond the usual cruelty and blood of this kind of films. The killing of the kid is the only one that the director decided to soften a little, but compensate with the disgusting / funny `Texas Chainsaw' homage.

By the end, the movie takes an unexpected twist, somehow related to sexual repression, that takes a while to accept and probably many will dislike, but overall this is one of the best slayer movie made and a real horror film, like the ones made twenty years ago when people HAD THE FREEDOM TO SEE OR CREATE whatever they wanted, not like today's ABSURD POLITICALLY CORRECTNESS aka CENSORSHIP.