Haute tension (2003)

Director:

Alexandre Aja

Writers:

Alexandre Aja (writer)
Grégory Levasseur (writer)

Release Date:

10 junio 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Romance | Thriller

Frase comercial:

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:

Child Murder | Female Psychopath | Car Crash | Breasts | Nipples

Awards:

4 wins & 3 nominations

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Stylish and Terrifying; A return to classic late 70's Horror.

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

También conocida como:

Switchblade Romance (International: English title) (UK) (DVD box title)
High Tension (USA)
Alta tensión (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Despertar del miedo, El (Mexico) (Venezuela) [es]

MPAA:

Rated NC-17 for strong graphic violence.

Duración:

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

País:

France

Idioma:

French | English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sonido:

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

Clasificación:

Canada:R (Manitoba) | Germany:18 (JK/SPIO) (cut) | USA:R (edited for re-rating) | Australia:R | Sweden:15 | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (cut) (DVD rating) (uncut) | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | Malaysia:(Banned) | USA:R (cut) | Czech Republic:15 | Argentina:16 | USA:Unrated (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/18 | New Zealand:R18 | 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

Trivialidades:

Cécile De France trained with a Thai boxer to get in shape for her physically demanding role.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the car driver is attacked near the end, Alex is showered in blood, including her face and teeth. In the next scenes, her teeth are perfectly white and the blood has dried very quickly.

Quotes:

Le tueur: You can't escape from me, bitch!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Crossover (2006)

Soundtrack:

Runaway Girl

Stylish and Terrifying; A return to classic late 70's Horror.

In order to fully appreciate "High Tension", it's best to see it in its original language and uncut. There has been a lot of hype about this film amongst gore hounds and horror movie buffs. I'd have to say it lived up to its reputation. Although the story is very simplistic and nothing original, "High Tension" still manages to grab the viewer. It has flawless lighting and camera work, great acting and a truly disturbing psychological intensity. The story concerns the tomboyish yet sexy Marie, played by Cecile De France. Marie and her friend Alex plan a vacation away from the big city. Marie is to stay with Alex and her family at their farm house. Little do they know of the psychotic serial killer who is on the prowl, driving his old van through the country side. The killer, played by Philippe Nahon of "I Stand Alone", is a deeply frightening man. He carries a strait razor and at one point even has the nerve to give himself fellatio with a girls decapitated head. Yuck! The killer invades Alex's home and wrecks havoc on her family. The violence is extremely brutal and unrelenting. The bloody realism may cause some viewers to turn their head. The film becomes more insane from this point on turning into a endless pursuit of cat and mouse. Some critics have complained that the film contains certain plot holes. I felt that by director Alex Aja leaving certain things unexplained, it added to the intensity. Very suspenseful and horrifying, no wonder why they called it "High Tension". It sure gave me tension. The reason I recommend seeing the film in its original french version, is because the acting is so believable. Dubbing only takes away from the amazing performances. Also not to mention the MPAA taking their own strait razor to the film, slashing it down to an R rating. I highly enjoyed "High Tension". It marks a return to the style of old school horror directors such as Dario Argento, Tobe Hooper and John Carpenter.