Taking place in Southern France, High Tension begins with a
series of extreme close ups of a woman clad in a hospital gown, seated on an
examination table. A video camera begins rolling, and then we are treated to
images featuring the same woman, bloodied and injured, running barefoot through
the deep woods. These shots are intertwined with those of a car driving along a
road that cuts through the came woods. Sure enough, the woman runs out in front
of the car, causing it to go off the road in order to avoid hitting her. She
runs up to the driver and screams for help. Yet just when we think we're seeing
the standard horror movie introduction, which shows us part of the climax, with
the rest of the film as a flashback, this whole sequence turns out to be a dream
that Marie (Cécile De France) is having while sleeping in the back seat of a car.
Her good friend Alex (Maïwenn) is driving, and they're on their way to the
country to see Alex's parents and her little brother. The girls need some peace
and quiet so they can study for upcoming exams at school. Yet unknown to them is
a serial killer who's driving around the area in a dilapidated old van. His
introduction scene, before he even meets the two main characters, is both
startling and brilliantly macabre in its gory inventiveness. Although you KNOW
that this vicious serial killer is on a collision course with the girls and this
nice rural family, the slow and steady build up to this bloody confrontation is
so expertly handled that its almost mesmerizing to watch. Marie, who is the only
one awake in the attic guest bedroom, listens in horror as the psycho slaughters
the family one by one, and then takes Alex captive. When he moves on to her
attic room, Marie frantically conceals all evidence of her presence by remaking
the bed and cleans up after herself as much as she can before she goes and hides.
This is a gripping, tense and nerve-wracking scene that will have you on the
edge of your seat. This is also the beginning of a brutal game of cat and mouse
between Marie and the killer that runs throughout the rest of the film. Cécile
De France is marvelous as the courageous Marie, a tomboyish young woman who
constantly struggles to contain her fear as she tries valiantly to save Alex
while also staying out of the killer's clutches at the same time. Philippe Nahon
is superb as the killer; a menacing monster that lurks within the shadows and
calmly takes his time offing his victims in grisly ways. Maïwenn (a.k.a. Maïwenn
Le Besco) is also excellent as the beleaguered Alex, who spends the better part
of the film's running time trussed up and at the mercy of the killer. Director
Alexandre Aja and his co-writer Grégory Levasseur have fashioned a relentless,
gory thriller that pulls no punches and takes no prisoners. There has been some
controversy about how similar the plot line of High Tension is to "Intensity", a
novel by Dean Koontz. Although the
filmmakers have steadfastly denied that they borrowed Koontz's story, having
read the book, I can attest that both stories are very much alike…but only to a certain
point. And if I reveal anything more of the plot of High Tension, then that
would truly be a crime.
The DVD is rich with special features, including a commentary (spoken in English)
by Aja and Levasseur. There's also a selected scenes commentary with Aja and
his leading lady Cécile De France, who exuberantly discusses how much she
enjoyed working on the film. The first-rate making of documentaries include
"Haute Horror: The Making of High Tension", a 23 minute look at the overall
production of the film, "Building Tension For High Tension", which uses clips
from the film to explore the basic film mechanics of creating a horror film.
"Giannnetto De Rossi: The Truth, the Madness and the Magic" looks at the
extensive and stunning make up effects that were created by De Rossi, a 44 year
film and TV veteran. The viewer also has the choice of watching three versions
of the film: the original French language Director's Cut (with your choice of
English or Spanish subtitles), the U.S. Unrated version, and a U.S. English
Language version. I couldn't tell any difference between the two U.S. versions,
and the amount of on-screen gore and violence is the same in all three versions.
High Tension is not for those with weak-stomachs, but for the viewer who sticks
with it, they'll be rewarded with an enthralling white-knuckle ride that will
stay with them for days afterward.
--SF
