High Tension (Haute Tension)

In Theatre : June 10, 2005
Director(s): Alexandre Aja

Marie and Alexia are classmates and best friends. Hoping to prepare for their college exams in peace and quiet, they decide to spend a weekend in the country at Alexia’s parents’ secluded farmhouse. But in the dead of night, a stranger knocks on the front door. And with the first swing of his knife, the girls’ idyllic weekend turns into an endless night of horror… Prepare to take a white-knuckle journey into the heart of terror with Lions Gate Films’ HIGH TENSION, the nightmarish story of two girls’ battle for survival at the hands of a sadistic psychopath. Marking a return to the raw intensity of 1970s horror classics, director Alexandre Aja reduces the genre to its bare essentials, building a narrative of growing dread that culminates in a truly shocking climax. Relentlessly tightening the screws of suspense, HIGH TENSION will have you struggling to catch your breath… Produced by Luc Besson ("La Femme Nikita", "The Professional", "The Fifth Element"), HIGH TENSION stars Cecile de France, Maïwenn and Philippe Nahon, from a script by Aja and Gregory Levasseur.

Directors Note:

HIGH TENSION was originally shot in French as an ode to the 1970s American horror/slasher films I loved as a teenager. When Lions Gate Films decided to distribute the film in U.S. theaters, we were faced with the problem of how to best present the film in English to an American audience. We tried both subtitling and dubbing the entire film, yet neither proved satisfactory for the horror genre. In the end, we re-imagined some of the characters as bilingual and created a hybrid solution, which uses dubbing in the dialogue-driven beginning of the film and subtitling in the latter half. This approach, which is justified by the story, allowed us to retain as much of the original sound as possible, enabling American audiences to experience the film on the same visceral level as French audiences. Additionally, the new version of HIGH TENSION that you are about to see has been re-edited slightly for an R rating by the MPAA, resulting in a running time that is about one minute shorter than the original. I am exceedingly happy with the final English-language version of the film, and I owe it to Lions Gate Films for making it all possible. -- Alexandre Aja, Director, HIGH TENSION

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Related High Tension (Haute Tension) Movie Reviews
Critic reviews are fantastic and we have many great critics but our community members ARE the horror audience and it is their reviews that really tell you if a film is worth watching.

High Tension Review by MacReady

First i have to say, that i watched the uncut European Version on DVD. So it can be that it is slightly different than the version for the American market. But anyways, WOW. What a movie. What Alexandre Aja delivers with...

High Tension Review by Googopqp

When a nice little vacation turns into a bloody killing spree its up to one women to escape from the clutches of the killer and find help. But on her way looking for help everyone is being killed around her, but why is t...

High Tension Review by jesset

FINALLY A HORROR FILM WITH BALLS. This film not only is the best serial killer flick ever filmed, but it is done with elegant style and brilliance. The directors of this film set out to do one thing. They wanted to cons...

High Tension Review by Goon

First of all the rating I'm giving this movie is based off of the R rated cut I saw in the theatre. I have to come out and say that because honestly the dubbing was outright terrible in this movie, almost laughable. But ...

High Tension Review by Moviemaven

I walked into this film expecting to be wowed based on the many comments found here. I walked out of this film satisfied. High Tension drags you kicking and screaming straight back to the traditional terror you would nor...

High Tension (Haute Tension) Review by Insomneea19...

The beginning of this movies starts out a bit dry, leaving you to think, "oh know another ineffectual attempt at making horror." However, if you can sit tight and stomach the beginning attempts at making the movie blend ...

High Tension Review by nricexbox

French horror. You know, I just read a commentary saying that we are going to start thinking about French horror like we used to think about Japanese horror. Personally, I can't stand Japanese horror, and it all get r...

High Tension (Haute Tension) (2003) Review by Blac...

A good, solid French horror but in the recent wave of horror's this was the most disappointing of them all. It's still good but it simply doesn't have that stunned factor. Quite a shame really. It is firm in what it aims...

High Tension (Haute Tension) Review by DerbyDemon

Okay, the Demon is ready to again make viewers of this movie mad. It seems the reviews run the gamut: from great to poor. This review falls in the latter category and it contains *quasi-spoilers*. One ...

Haute Tension Review by Scaryboo

You like gory slasher movie? You need to see this movie:) The story is simple: two girls, Marie and Alex, take a road trip to the isolated farm house where Alex's family lives. On the first night they're ther...

High Tension Review by clayguy

I saw the Unrated Import DVD. Great gore and quality kills. Unnamed male killer is super-creepy. The first three quarters of the film is a beat for beat rip-off of Dean Koontz's Intensity. I thought I was watching ...

High Tension (Haute Tension) Review by alex1176

This haunting, psychological splatterfest is one of the creepiest films ever. Like "Saw" before it, "High Tension" is a real hardcore piece of horror brilliance. Alexandre Aja's directi...

High Tension Review by Dean Valent

Having bought this due to the praise it has gotten from this site and it's members, I expected a high quality traditional horror tale. This film is incredible, and a spectacular showing of every film skill needed. The fi...

High Tension Review by Tim Hannigan

This movie had a release date of June 10th 2005. I was unable to find it showing anywhere in Toronto, but fortunately I tracked down an imported DVD of the subtitled Director’s Cut. One word - UNBELIEVABLE! Without...

High Tension (Haute Tension) Review by Alex

This haunting, psychological splatter-fest is one of the best horror films I've seen in recent years. Along with James Wan's "Saw", it is a hardcore piece of horror brilliance. Director Alexandre Aja's directing deb...

High Tension (Haute Tension) Review by babydamien

The two college friends, Alexia (Maïwenn Le Besco) and Marie (Cécile De France) heads out to Alexia´s parents country home over the weekend. What was suppose to be a calm weekend dedicated to studying t...

High Tension Review by Chad Langen

Alex has brought her friend Marie to spend the weekend at her parents' country farmhouse to escape the hectic pace of Paris. Exhausted from the long drive the two girls decide to save the small talk for the coming morn...

High Tension Review by Ash's missing hand

This movie is about a madman stalking a rural area of France. Alex and Marie are driving out for a weekend with Alex's parents which , of course, is located in the part of France where no one else lives. They are followe...

High Tension Review by Steve Lewis

Over-hyped and Over-rated..... I'm sorry for everyone who thinks this movie delievers the highest of tensions. It's a good movie, I admit, but to believe that it's such an intense movie is certainly wrong. Marie a...