Horror Movie News and Reviews - Horror Express.com

'TENSION' DUMBED DOWN FOR U.S.

Sometimes things just don't work out the way you'd like. For one thing, it's a bit of a pain that the 2003 film HAUTE TENSION is just coming to the U.S. this summer. It was to be worth the wait, because not only is the film supposed to be incredible, it was going to reach our shores unsullied. This means it would be shown subtitled and released with an "NC-17" rating from the MPAA. Well, that is no longer the case.

Lion's Gate Films, likely taking the business outlook into account, has cut about a minute of footage from the film to achieve an "R" rating. What's more, the newly retitled HIGH TENSION will now be reaching U.S. theatres in a dubbed version.

Director Alexandre Aja contacted Bloody Disgusting and assured audiences that lead actress Cecille De France will at least be doing her own dubbing. Aja defends Lion's Gate decision. "HIGH TENSION was conceived as an ode to the 1970's American horror/slasher films I loved as a teenager," he says, "so it is a source of great satisfaction to me that American audiences will now be able to experience the film on the same visceral level as French audiences, without the distraction of subtitles. Every filmmaker hopes that his or her work will be seen by the largest audience possible. Now, as an English language film, HIGH TENSION has the opportunity to travel to U.S. theaters."

I guess it will still be a great film, even dubbed and slightly cut. But man, I'm disappointed. I am going to warn you, I get very snobbish on this subject so be prepared for a rant.

I am sick and tired of the dumbing down of America. I am no Einstein. Far from it, in fact. But if ignorance is annoying to me, the idea that ignorance should be treated as the accepted or even preferable norm is a profound insult to me. This is the mindset that keeps us in fullscreen movies. This is the mindset that keeps our citizens unaware of other cultures. This is the mindset that tarnishes our art.

Here we have two things that speak to our intellectual backslide. For one is the puritanical ratings system. While it is refreshing to see that they are at least getting their knickers in a twist over violence and not sex for a change, it's cold comfort when I consider what we're up against. Most theatres, wanting to the show themselves as family-friendly, refuse to show "NC-17"-rated films. When the films hit video and DVD, you can forget about rental chains like Blockbuster or Hollywood Video carrying them (Movie Gallery will, however). Likewise, most television stations and newspapers will not run advertisements for them. So, sending any "NC-17" into wide release is a battle and hence, the rating is rarely used.

Likewise, subtitles are more nuisance to most audiences. They become very loud and animated in their shock that they might actually have to read when they watch a film. Reading is of course something that my country places less and less emphasis on every day. Their brains can't seem to adapt to simply reading the subtitles. Not tooting my own horn or anything, but I barely notice them myself. I just accept them and it very quickly integrates into the film. It's called being open to an artistic experience. Unfortunately, many people remain closed to subtitles, never mind that with dubbing, they miss out on the initial performances of the actors that helped make the film a favorite in its native land.

I hear these arguments every day. "Who cares if the sides are cut off the screen, I just want to watch the movie. Who cares if it's cut, I just want to watch the movie. Who cares if it's dubbed, I just want to watch the movie." No one wants to invest any energy into their entertainment. They treat is like a candy bar. Doesn't matter if it's fallen to the floor and had ants crawl over it, just as long as they can still taste a little chocolate without having to get another candy bar. What is worse is that on the rare occasion they listen to arguments such as mine, they still don't care. Many people actually take pride in having their art co-opted and corrupted. And then you have to deal with someone like me, waving my arms and shouting in frustration like some elitist wacko. Just pisses me off to no end.

Lion's Gate will release HIGH TENSION in the U.S. on June 5th. You can count on the DVD being available in an uncut and subtitled version, I imagine. If you cannot wait until then, you can always go to an online retailer specializing in imports like Diabolik DVD, DDD House, HK Flix, Xploited Cinema or some similar entity. But remember, you'll need a region free DVD player that can handle PAL as well as NTSC.

In the meantime, you can whet your appetite by checking out our own Tom Foster's excellent review of HAUTE TENSION by clicking HERE.

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