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Haute Tension, also referred to as Switchblade Romance in the UK and High Tension in the USA, is a French slasher film originally released in France during 2003, and was later released during 2004 in the UK and 2005 in the USA. The film, directed by Alexandre Aja, stars Cécile De France, Maïwenn Le Besco, and Philippe Nahon. High Tension was picked up by independent distributor Lions Gate Films following a successful screening at the Midnight Madness section of the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival.
Synopsis
Friends Marie (De France) and Alex (Le Besco) go to visit Alex's parents in the countryside, and study in the peaceful surroundings. However, the tranquility is soon broken when, on the first night, a truck-driver (Nahon) breaks into the house. The intruder proceeds to rape Alex and murder her family, Marie, however, manages to evade the truck-driver. When the man carries Alex into the back of is truck in chains Marie is forced to attempt to rescue her friend. Aja is successful in maintaining a highly tense atmosphere as Marie makes several attempts to rescue her friend whilst avoiding the attentions of the violent psychopath who is holding her prisoner.
The film's twist is that Marie and the psychopathic truck-driver are one and the same person. Marie kidnaps Alex, and murders her whole family, out of sexual desire for her. The frenetic penultimate scene features Marie chasing Alex with a circular saw following Alex's angry rejection of her, unsurprising after Marie had massacred her whole family. Alex manages to escape after stabbing Marie with a kitchen knife. The film closes with Marie in a mental institute.
Perhaps the most startling nature of this film is its incredibly visceral nature. Eschewing the current fad for computer generation, all of the effects are created by reknowned horror make-up artist Giannetto De Rossi, a favourite of late director Lucio Fulci, whose work serves to enhance the disturbing nature of the film.
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