MasterChugs Theater: 'High Tension'

The latest horror film to come from France, Alexandre Aja's '70s-inspired slash-fest, High Tension (or Haute Tension, depending on if you speak French or not) was clearly born from grisly, though esteemed, influences. You'll see Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Last House on the Left, and even Duel in this suspenseful blood feast. And for those of us who appreciate such things, you'll really feel the grindhouse exploitation factor more so than in many U.S. Chainsaw Massacre knock-offs. High Tension is incredibly gory, disturbing, and at times, sickly scary. And to place it firmly in the tradition of 70s drive-in fare, it's dubbed (and subbed on the DVD).

With a story that's almost too simple (but totally needed for this kind of movie), High Tension takes two female friends/law students Marie (Cécile de France) and Alex (Maïwenn Le Besco) as they take a trip to Alex's parents farmhouse in the desolate French countryside. On their very first night, the young women endure a horror that's almost incomprehensible--a deranged psychopath breaks into the house and, one by one, kills the entire family. The picture doesn't miss one bloody beat; we witness decapitations, a throat slashing, and a shooting (of a little boy, no less). The crazy man binds the terrified Alex and takes her hostage in his creepy-stalker-pedophile van. Meanwhile, Marie, who's managed to escape the killer's detection, sneaks into the van with her friend in an attempt to save her. The film follows Marie's pursuit with the killer--from her taking a gas station attendant's muscle car to a grotesque show-down in the woods.

The film is wonderfully shot, effectively dark, and interestingly acted (even while dubbed). It may be hard for teens of today to realize that once upon a time horror movies were not feel-good rollercoaster rides of thrills. There was a time when horror films were just as nasty as the killers and monsters they were about--small, grimy films that were looking to put the audience through as much pain and terror as the characters in the film itself. High Tension is a throwback to exactly that kind of nasty, mean and unrelenting movie. The direct fathers of High Tension aren’t The Ring or Boogeyman– they’re The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and I Spit on Your Grave.

There isn't a single new idea in Aja's flick, and that is exactly how it should be. High Tension isn't looking to reinvent the genre but to celebrate it. After all, why tinker with a successful formula? The result is a distilled version of what a good horror flick is supposed to be, and at 85 short minutes, High Tension packs a sharply focused punch, like the quick stab of a razorblade to the jugular. Yes, the "twist ending" does suck ... it is a bit of a letdown given the entire movie itself; however, don't worry your heads about it. The emphasis is definitely on "bit." At that point in the movie, the film has built up so much momentum and had been so great (and to be fair, delivered more great gore even after this reveal) that most people should be willing to forgive it.

For some people, the films that recall their childhood are full of stupid adventure and action beats, with wry heroes and laser guns. For me, the movies that evoke falling in love with movies are full of splattering entrails and abject sociopathy towards the characters and the audience (despite my irrational fear of Jason Vorhees and Freddy Krueger coming up through toilets to snatch me as a wee Chuglet). I’m happy to say that High Tension is one of those movies, and I absolutely loved it.