“Brutally intense and unnerving from start to finish!”

In the early to mid 2000’s the French were on fire with their contributions to the horror genre.  This “French Wave of Horror” gave us extreme films such as Irreversible, Inside, and Martyrs.  One of the early films of this nature was the extremely violent and tense thriller, 2003’s High Tension.  Co-written by Gregory Levasseur and director Alexandre Aja, it has become one of the most talked about French extreme horror films.  From the opening sequence to the jaw dropping conclusion, the film never lets up on the intensity and gruesome violence!

THE PLOT

Best friends Marie (Cecile de France) and Alexia (Alex) (Maiwenn Le Besco) are heading to Alex’s parent’s farmhouse for the weekend in hopes of relaxing and studying for their college exams.  They are greeted by Alex’s father and after giving Marie a quick tour, they have dinner and decide to turn in for the night.  Before long the doorbell rings, and without warning an unknown sadistic killer breaks in and goes on a gruesome rampage throughout the home.  Marie quickly hides under the bed, as the killer makes his way room by room, looking for his next victim.  Quietly Marie sneaks into Alex’s room to find her chained to the bed.  She tells Alex to stay calm as she goes into the parent’s room to try to call for help, but before she can do so, the killer approaches the room prompting Marie to hide in the closet.  The killer then drags Alex to his truck, and before he leaves Marie is forced to sneak into the truck as well, praying that she and Alex will escape this horrific night alive!

SHOULD YOU SEE IT?

My immediate reaction to this film as the ending credits started rolling were “I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THAT MOVIE!”  It was a great horror flick to say the least and definitely lived up to its title!  That being said, it’s a VERY violent movie!  Full of blood, gore, and disturbing content, it can be tough to watch if you’re squeamish.  The driving force behind the film is the wild twist, which I definitely didn’t see coming!  I would warn a first time viewer to be careful to not read any spoilers, because if the twist is revealed, it will ruin it for you.  Once again, the French sure know how to deliver some intense and extreme horror, and in my opinion, High Tension is no exception!