"High Tension" Movie Review

Give Lionsgate credit for bringing the bloody French film "High Tension" to the big screen in America. Unfortunately, blame must also go to someone for the decisions that make this theatrical release a disappointment.

First, by dubbing most of the original french dialogue into english, there's an immediate disconnect from a sense that we're watching events as they happen, although the gritty, cinéma vérité quality of the photography goes a long way toward instilling a sense of realism, and behind the poorly dubbed and acted voices, the acting is quite good.

Secondly, besides its ultraviolence, "High Tension" is touted for its twist ending. Few viewers are likely to see the twist coming, but only because it is so illogical, and seemingly implausible.

Seldom has a surprise ending instilled such a sense of bewilderment and inspired universal groans. The revelation explains several seemingly puzzling behaviors earlier in the film, but it also creates a host of inconsistencies and impossibilities that require more thought to explain away than most viewers will care to spend energy on.

As in nearly every contemporary horror film, homage is paid to a dozen other films, here including "Jeepers Creepers," "The Shining," "Psycho," and most obviously, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." The chainsaw scene in "High Tension" involves the Goliath of such power tools, one of the most grisly murders ever, and one of the most harrowing film sequences.

Some sequences in "High Tension" have a quality similar to the original "Night of the Living Dead," complete with unnerving sound design in place of a traditional movie score. The choice to edit nearly a minute of extreme violence in order to avoid an NC-17 rating may also have lost a few unforgetable shocks, but High Tension is still an extreme gore-fest in this R-rated version.

"High Tension" tells the tale of two young French coeds, Marie and Alex. The two friends drive far into the quiet countryside where they intend to study at the home of Alex's parents. On the night of their arrival, Marie watches the systematic murder of her hosts and the abduction of her friend by a brutish stranger. So begins a night in which the seemingly fortunate survivor tries again and again to rescue the bound and gagged Alex before she meets the same fate as her family.

The consensus of those who have seen the original, uncut, subtitled version of "High Tension" (which played in England under the title "Switchblade Romance") is that this theatrical release is best skipped in favor of the original on DVD.