Directed by: Alexandre Aja
Starring: Cécile De France, Maïwenn, Philippe Nahon
Genre: Horror
Format: PAL Region 2 Private Collection
Haute Tension is one of the best horror films of the 2000s and so far has some of the most brutal killings of any film of it's kind. What begins as a slasher film ends as a sort of modern day giallo with great cinematography. The abrasive score during the opening credits is mesmerizing François Eudes absolutely nails the raw emotion of this film. Aja has made some fine films in his career including yes dare I say it Piranha 3D, but this his sophomore effort is by leagues his masterpiece. The first time I watched this on a different PAL disc from France I believe the cut was not the same but I remember just hanging on every second of every scene right up until the very end. If any film hit the mark re-creating the grittiness of 70's and 80's cinema for me it's Haute Tension or High Tension as it translates to the English title. I prefer the French title with French language and English subtitles mostly because I like to watch every movie even Godzilla movies the original way they were meant to be seen by the artists who created them. As you can see this is a 5 out of 5 film on my list something I do not take lightly. I do like more films by far than I don't like but I will not put any film or movie on the 5 out of 5 list unless I find nothing to complain about. I cannot bring myself to give a lot away because if you haven't seen it will totally ruin the experience. The film follows Alex and Marie (Cécile De France and Maïwenn) coming home from school to Alex's family's farm. Unknown to them a sinister brutally violently killer follows leaving nothing but death in his wake. The girls arrive at the home and are met with open arms by Alex's family. The girls head up to bed after an exhausting trip and soon after the slaughter begins. Of course first we have an erotic masturbation scene with Marie which for a guy who mostly hates sex scenes of any kind in movies I have to say Aja hit the hot mark big time! Cecile is an excellent actress as well as amazingly hot. A great combination for a scene such as this. Her acting ability shows through most especially in this movie because of the complexity of the character she is playing. A true actor is one who can take a scene down with simple eye movements and/or facial expressions without ever opening their mouths and Miss De France is perfect for this. Maiween can't be taken for granted either here although her character didn't have the complexity that Marie has she still showed the camera what she is made of and more. Last but not least we have Philippe Nahon our murderer who I'm sorry looked more like a real life serial killer/mass murderer than any actor I've ever seen ever. No one I can think of fit his part better as a blood thirsty killer than this man. 
Maxime Alexandre the cinematographer for Haute Tension partnered well with Aja to create a chaotic no escape world of endless carnage. I really have nothing bad to say about the movie. Some say it makes no sense. I suppose with no real imagination you can say that's true. A lot of what you see in the film is not what it seems. Head games and psychological horrors created by a terrified victim and a sick mind. I can watch this movie in my head with my eyes shut I've seen it so many times. My foreign cut has a much longer gory death scene and a few other moments not seen in the American release and I'm not sure the decapitated head scene below is even in the U.S. cut so if you really want the full effect go buy an all region player for a hundred bones and get the PAL region 2 cut. Highly recommended!
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