High Tension starts off as a horror film lover’s dream with violence and gore to satisfy all your longings, but as the film goes on the final 15 minutes turn everything you have just enjoyed into what seems like another Hollywood blunder.
The film begins as Marie (Cecile De France) and Alexia (Maïwenn Le Besco) head out to Alex’s family home in the country for some peace and quiet and a good place to study, little did they know it was actually the beginning of the worst night of their lives.
Once Alex, ma, pa and brother are settled into bed the horror awakens and Marie has a front row seat as her innocent upstairs masturbation is interrupted by a freakish Jeepers Creepers style truck that pulls up in the driveway. As she looks on from the upstairs window a large man walks up and knocks on the front door waking papa from his slumber. Being the middle of the night he goes down to check things out, but once he opens the door he opens up a whole new can of blood spilling worms, and the mayhem ensues.
Based on that description there you might be led to believe this film has something to offer but writer/director Alexandre Aja went for a much more imaginative ending than was necessary to this bloodbath, which at one point had me completely enthralled only to have me leaving the theater disappointed.
Aja has a flare for grisly gore and scenes that will turn your stomach, which is why it is so unfortunate that this could-have-been classic horror flick went so awry. Unfortunately, I cannot go into details as to how exactly the film went wrong considering it would ruin it for you, suffice to say, the ending was sorely disappointing.
The fact that the entire movie is in French, and jumps from subtitles to English dubbing is not even noticeable; the gruesome horror is welcomed and Aja has made for himself a career in the horror genre and will most likely be able to even branch out into other areas. Talent aside, the one and only miscue in this film was one my imagination couldn’t fully accept.
