HAUTE TENSION
 |
This recent French horror film has been creating quite a stir amongst genre fans in the last few weeks, thanks to its early release on DVD in Korea, with English subtitles (as 'X Tension'). Unfortunately this release is cut, but nevertheless, this is one seriously nasty little film. It’s yet another of those cases where it’s difficult to say too much about the plot without giving things away, but a relatively spoiler-free synopsis would be as follows:
Marie (Cécile de France) and Alex (Maïwenn) are two young girls with exams fast approaching. They decide to return to Alex’s family household in the country for some peace and quiet in which to revise. Just before they arrive, we see a man (Philippe Nahon) apparently receiving oral sex in a scruffy old truck. This isn’t quite what it seems though, as becomes obvious when he drops a severed head out of the window and drives off… The girls arrive home late in the evening and soon Alex retires to bed, whilst Marie heads outside for a last cigarette. She sees Alex showering through a window in the house and goes to bed herself, puts on some head phones and starts masturbating. This is interrupted when she hears someone banging on the door downstairs. Yep, you guessed it; it’s the guy from the truck we saw earlier. Alex’s dad answers the door only to be stabbed with a razor. The killer enters and proceeds to decapitate him in a very unusual manner, then the family dog gets it. By this point, Marie is trying to find somewhere to hide, and there follows a long, tense scene in which the killer looks round her room. Next he deals with Alex’s mother, then enters Alex’s room. She hasn’t heard anything as she was wearing ear plugs (trains pass the house noisily), and wakes to find the killer’s knife at her throat. Marie tries to phone for help, but is interrupted when Alex’s little brother makes a run for it into the corn fields, soon followed by the killer with a shotgun. Marie tries to free Alex, who has been bound with chains, but cannot – instead she goes looking for a weapon and finds a kitchen knife. The killer takes Alex out to his truck and puts her in the back, Marie jumps in with her planning to stab the killer when he comes back round. However, he just slams the door and drives off, with both girls in the back. The next chance to escape comes when he stops at a gas station, but all is not what it seems…
There are two main reasons that this film is going to generate a lot of discussion. One is the completely bizarre twist that comes ten minutes from the end – no matter how much you think about it, it really makes no sense whatsoever, but it somehow manages to be very effective anyway (and I guessed it just before it was revealed, which is unusual for me). The other reason is that this is a true return to those g(l)ory days when horror films were extremely bloody and unpleasant, just for the fun of it. The murders are – even in the cut version available on DVD – very graphic and unpleasant, and the final act sees the most intense and bloody chainsaw scene since the original TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974). There is a further reason that true horror fans will be interested in seeing this film however, and one which I was amazed hasn't generated more discussion – the person behind this ultra-gory FX work is none other than the master of Italian gore, Giannetto de Rossi. De Rossi’s last genre work of note was for Fulci’s HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY way back in 1981, though he has continued to work in Hollywood productions since and did the makeup FX for Fabrizio de Angelis’ loopy KILLER CROCODILE (1989). HAUTE TENSION marks his return to the genre, and it’s clear that he relishes the chance to go completely overboard with blood and guts in a way that Fulci himself would most certainly approve of.
There are other good things about HAUTE TENSION too – it is very successful in creating and sustaining an extremely tense and claustrophobic atmosphere. It’s beautifully shot, using the same ultra-wide photography that Gaspar Noe used to such good effect in CARNÉ (1991) and SEUL CONTRE TOUS (1998). And, speaking of those films, the horse butcher himself, Philippe Nahon, plays the murderer with gusto, making him a believable and very frightening bogeyman type of figure. Maïwenn's role is pretty limited, thanks to her being tied up and gagged for most of the film, but Cécile de France is excellent in a very demanding role. There’s also a good score which mixes modern pop music and incidental music reminiscent of Hooper’s ‘musique concréte’ for THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. There are many plot holes and clichés, and the film gleefully steals from (and references) many other genre classics (and not-so-classics – does the killer’s truck remind you of anything?!), not to mention seemingly borrowing its plot from Dean R Koontz's novel Intensity, but it does so with such exuberance and skill that it’s very easy to forgive any faults it may have.
All-in-all, HAUTE TENSION is easily the best foreign language horror film not to come out of Asia that I’ve seen in many years. Definitely the sort of film to watch on your own in the dark on a stormy night, it’s guaranteed to make you cringe and wince, not to mention have you on the edge of your seat throughout, and leave you open-mouthed when the twist is revealed. I look forward to an uncut DVD release in the near future…
- Tom Foster
WHAT YOU SAID [VIEW]
Supercool saidNice review, I was kinda hoping for a review of this film by the horror express team. Its on My want list and Im gonna get once Ive payed off My current debts.
42nd Street Freak said
Never come across it...The Korian is cut, the American is not out yet and the UK has a limited release soon with no cuts made by the BBFC (as long as it was an uncut print in the first place).
Supercool said
QUOTE Originally posted by 42nd Street Freak@Apr 5 2004, 09:49 PM
the UK has a limited release soon with no cuts made by the BBFC (as long as it was an uncut print in the first place).
the UK has a limited release soon with no cuts made by the BBFC (as long as it was an uncut print in the first place).
Realy? I might have to wait for that version. The Korean isn't exactly cheap, so I guess I'll see how the UK release pans out.
Well then, Mr. Foster, despite the nice review, we'll agree to disagree: I hated those last 10 minutes.
The "twist" in a movie, for me, should NEVER be a cheat. Give us something to work on man! have it make SOME sense! The fact that I saw this ending coming EVEN when it sprouts out of nowhere just makes it worse: it was predictable for the sake of being predictable.
Think about it: you have a horror movie that WORKS, you have some very nasty scenes, you have VERY interesting characters, you have what is probably one of the greates "introducing the killer" scenes EVER, you have a memorable rampage-trough-the-house- killing-everything-that-breaths sequence that leave's the espectator squirm in his seat.
Why destroy it all? is it a JOKE? does the director HATE US ALL? That is what I was asking myself as I saw this great little horror movie go to to hell in it's final 10 minutes.
aw man. The first part is so good I STILL have to recommend this movie to anyone. Keep in mind, though, you will feel strongly about the ending, either loving ir or hating it. I suspect it will be the later.
writer said
The "twist" in a movie, for me, should NEVER be a cheat. Give us something to work on man! have it make SOME sense! The fact that I saw this ending coming EVEN when it sprouts out of nowhere just makes it worse: it was predictable for the sake of being predictable.
Think about it: you have a horror movie that WORKS, you have some very nasty scenes, you have VERY interesting characters, you have what is probably one of the greates "introducing the killer" scenes EVER, you have a memorable rampage-trough-the-house- killing-everything-that-breaths sequence that leave's the espectator squirm in his seat.
Why destroy it all? is it a JOKE? does the director HATE US ALL? That is what I was asking myself as I saw this great little horror movie go to to hell in it's final 10 minutes.
aw man. The first part is so good I STILL have to recommend this movie to anyone. Keep in mind, though, you will feel strongly about the ending, either loving ir or hating it. I suspect it will be the later.
What a total con job! And what’s worse, the reviewers and fans have been sucked right in.
The director and screen writers knew that they had lifted the plot of Dean Koontz's best-seller INTENSITY, even going so far as to poorly translate and transpose the title into High Tension ... a very obvious rip off of even the title.
One reviewer said that he hadn't actually ever read INTENSITY nor had he seen the film adaptation. I suggest that anyone who enjoyed the film go to the original source—read the novel--and see what true suspense and plotting looks like when handled by a master craftsman like Dean R. Koontz.
From the beginning, through being trapped in the truck with the girl's friend/hostage, to the convenience store scene where she escapes from the truck (in the novel it was the psycho’s huge RV) and cowers behind the display racks while watching the cool blooded slaughter of the clerk, even the psycho’s keeping photos of his victims as souvenirs, to the heroine’s taking the clerk’s car and the insuring chase, even the frustrated call to the police and then, turning the tables and chasing the psycho killer... the screenplay was almost a scene for scene lift directly from the novel.
If the film's ending seemed confusing it was because they took a solid plot and made a major change in the third act!
In Koontz's novel, the plot twist comes at the final climax when we see a policeman rushing to the girl's aid, only to discover that he is the psycho killer.
What's been praised here, as such a brilliant plot twist is a poorly slapped together, disjointed, altered ending. The bastardization of a great suspense writer’s craft.
Koontz said he wanted to challenge himself by making a whole novel one long chase scene, which he did so well that Alfred Hitchcock was in the process of optioning the novel just before he passed. He wanted a novel whose story would enable him to surpass his film adaptation of Robert Block’s PSYCHO.
Reading these posting which go on and on, trying to figure out why it seems impossible that the woman could have been in two places at one time, trying to figure out the reality from the delusion, trying to figure out what brilliant message and hints the director was sprinkling along the way or striving for … is a cruel joke.
Take any solid story and change the ending to mask the fact that you’ve stolen another artist’s work and you’ll end up with a confusing hodgepodge, in short a mess.
It’s like the pompous art critic who tries to interrupt the deeper meaning of what he thinks is some up-and-coming new artist’s work, a budding Jackson Pollok, only to be told that he looking at a tarp that a drunken house painter splattered by accident.
If you’d like to challenge this, please read the novel first. Once you have, I think you will file this film under not avant-garde Slasher flick but rather …lobotomy of a great writer’s creation.
Beast said
The director and screen writers knew that they had lifted the plot of Dean Koontz's best-seller INTENSITY, even going so far as to poorly translate and transpose the title into High Tension ... a very obvious rip off of even the title.
One reviewer said that he hadn't actually ever read INTENSITY nor had he seen the film adaptation. I suggest that anyone who enjoyed the film go to the original source—read the novel--and see what true suspense and plotting looks like when handled by a master craftsman like Dean R. Koontz.
From the beginning, through being trapped in the truck with the girl's friend/hostage, to the convenience store scene where she escapes from the truck (in the novel it was the psycho’s huge RV) and cowers behind the display racks while watching the cool blooded slaughter of the clerk, even the psycho’s keeping photos of his victims as souvenirs, to the heroine’s taking the clerk’s car and the insuring chase, even the frustrated call to the police and then, turning the tables and chasing the psycho killer... the screenplay was almost a scene for scene lift directly from the novel.
If the film's ending seemed confusing it was because they took a solid plot and made a major change in the third act!
In Koontz's novel, the plot twist comes at the final climax when we see a policeman rushing to the girl's aid, only to discover that he is the psycho killer.
What's been praised here, as such a brilliant plot twist is a poorly slapped together, disjointed, altered ending. The bastardization of a great suspense writer’s craft.
Koontz said he wanted to challenge himself by making a whole novel one long chase scene, which he did so well that Alfred Hitchcock was in the process of optioning the novel just before he passed. He wanted a novel whose story would enable him to surpass his film adaptation of Robert Block’s PSYCHO.
Reading these posting which go on and on, trying to figure out why it seems impossible that the woman could have been in two places at one time, trying to figure out the reality from the delusion, trying to figure out what brilliant message and hints the director was sprinkling along the way or striving for … is a cruel joke.
Take any solid story and change the ending to mask the fact that you’ve stolen another artist’s work and you’ll end up with a confusing hodgepodge, in short a mess.
It’s like the pompous art critic who tries to interrupt the deeper meaning of what he thinks is some up-and-coming new artist’s work, a budding Jackson Pollok, only to be told that he looking at a tarp that a drunken house painter splattered by accident.
If you’d like to challenge this, please read the novel first. Once you have, I think you will file this film under not avant-garde Slasher flick but rather …lobotomy of a great writer’s creation.
This film is expertly crafted; some of the best gore effects I've ever seen, thanks to Savini, great direction, acting and music. Unfortunately, it was let down by the unnecessary and completely disappointing ending. Still, for what it is, a very good film and so much better than a lot of horror films being released nowadays. B
Seen It? Tell Us What You Think
DIRECTOR
Alexandre AjaCAST
Cécile De FranceMaïwenn
Philippe Nahon
RELEASE DATE
2003REVIEWER
Tom FosterREVIEW DATE
5th April 2004 - 5:16PMTrivia
- The film was written by Alexandre Aja (the director) and Grégory Levasseur, who was also Art Director for the film.
- Maïwenn's full name is Maïwenn Le Bosco, and she also appeared in Luc Besson's LEON and THE FIFTH ELEMENT.
- The film was written by Alexandre Aja (the director) and Grégory Levasseur, who was also the Art Director for the film.
- Maïwenn Le Besco is the full name of the actress who plays 'Alex' in the film. She also appeared in Luc Besson's LEON and THE FIFTH ELEMENT.
Also Known As
Switchblade RomanceX Tension (Korea)
the Last 10 Movie Reviews by
Tom Foster
Toolbox Murders
Symptoms
Naked Blood
Mark of the Devil
Night Train Murders
The Watcher in the Attic
Haute Tension
Blue Movie
A Tale of Two Sisters
Flavia the Heretic
Symptoms
Naked Blood
Mark of the Devil
Night Train Murders
The Watcher in the Attic
Haute Tension
Blue Movie
A Tale of Two Sisters
Flavia the Heretic
Read more Reviews by Tom HERE