High Tension (2003) Movie Info
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | High Tension (2003) |
| Original Title | Haute Tension |
| Also Known As | Switchblade Romance (UK title) |
| Director | Alexandre Aja |
| Screenplay Writer | Alexandre Aja, Grégory Levasseur |
| Story By | Alexandre Aja, Grégory Levasseur |
| Based on Novel by | — (Original screenplay) |
| Producer(s) | Alexandre Arcady |
| Executive Producer(s) | Robert Benmussa |
| Lead Actors | Cécile de France, Maïwenn |
| Cast | Cécile de France, Maïwenn, Philippe Nahon, Franck Khalfoun |
| Genre | Horror, Thriller |
| Subgenre | Slasher Horror, Psychological Horror |
| Release Date | June 18, 2003 (France) |
| Runtime / Duration | 1h 31m (91 minutes) |
| Budget | ~$2.5 million |
| Box Office (Worldwide) | ~$6.3 million |
| Language | French |
| Country | France |
| Production Company | Alexandre Films, EuropaCorp |
| Distributor | Lions Gate Films (U.S.) |
| Filming Locations | France |
| Music By | François Eudes, Muse, Sonic Youth (additional music) |
| Cinematography | Maxime Alexandre |
| Edited By | Baxter |
| Production Design | Grégory Levasseur |
| Costume Design | — |
| Special Effects | Intense practical gore effects and makeup |
| MPAA Rating | NC-17 (original U.S. rating) |
| Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 |
| Sound Mix | DTS, Dolby Digital |
| Format | Color |
| Themes | Madness, repression, violence, identity |
| Setting | Isolated countryside farmhouse in France |
| Notable Trivia | Became one of the defining films of the “New French Extremity” movement |
| Critical Reception | Praised for intensity and direction but divisive ending |
| Home Media | DVD, Blu-ray |
| Sequel / Remake | None |
WATCH NOW
Two college friends, Marie and Alex, head out to Alex’s family farmhouse to get some studying done. While everyone is asleep a killer shows up and Marie is able to hide since she was busy doing something interesting instead of sleeping. After slaughtering the family the killer takes Alex with him and it’s up to Marie to follow them to try and rescue her.
This is one of the goriest “realistic” (no supernatural elements) movies I’ve ever seen. The make up was incredible. A lot of movies show a bit of gore then cut away in case we notice it doesn’t look real. Not so here. Here they grab you by the throat and force you to watch every gory detail until the blood has stopped spraying, then make you watch just a bit more for good measure.
The acting is excellent and the intelligence of the killer is top notch, no small detail escapes his notice. All the settings are beautiful and striking as well. You’ll either love the “twist” ending or hate it. Personally I loved it once I played back the movie in my head and everything clicked together.
i watched the uncut Thai version, dubbed in English, and rated NC-17. Lions Gate has cut it down to an R for theatrical release. The gore makes all the difference. This movie is very raw, gritty, and realistic. The English dubbing is actually very good. Only one voice rubbed me the wrong way. There isn’t too much dialog and what is there isn’t close up. You’re going to need to watch it more than once.
Many people have challenged the director as to his source material for the first half of the movie since it’s excruciatingly similar to the Dean Koontz book “Intensity”. I’ve read the book and watched the made for TV movie and now that I’ve seen this movie I have to agree with everyone in that it’s almost a complete rip off. Damned if I didn’t care though, I was enjoying the movie too much. Sorry Mr. Koontz, I swear before I watched this movie I was full of righteous indignation.
To watch more movies like High Tension (2003) visit hurawatch
Also watch: