It's nice to see a lot of international horror directors make their ways to the American theaters.  It gives us all a break from the Chucky remakes and these other crazy WB style horror flicks.  It's a breath of fresh air because of directors like Alexandre Aja.  In his first major blockbuster release, High Tension, he exercises his unbelievable ability to recapture the feel of a 70s grind house spectacular while maintaining a more modern day approach to dramatic plot twists and excellent tragic storytelling.

Before you even sit down to your first viewing of High Tension, you may have already read a few things about the "horrible" plot twist toward the 2/3 mark of the film.  After multiple viewings of the film, I can honestly say that, although the twist does create many plot holes, it does however open up a MUCH more in-depth take on what at first appears to be your everyday slasher flick.  Still, you'll see the twist in all its glory, and immediately think about how you've seen this shit happen in countless other horror and non-horror films to which have all pulled off these approaches more efficiently than High Tension has...BUT...look closer!  You're about to take a trip inside the crazy mind of a relentless killer.

Meet Marie and Alexia.  They are two students looking for a quiet weekend getaway so that they can both…um…"study" for classes.  Luckily for us, it turns out that the quiet weekend will take place at Alexia’s (Maïwenn Le Besco) house waaay off in the beautiful European countryside.   From there, we learn that Marie not only has a strong friendship with Alexia, but also one hell of a wicked crush on her as well.

Turns out that Marie and Alexia's family aren't the only ones that inhabit this stretch of land.  One of the most sinister psychopaths in recent horror history happens to have an itch to go on a monster killing spree.  What drives this killer?  We're led to believe that it's good old fashion perversion, but Aja challenges the viewer to take a deeper look, not only into the killer's reasoning, but into Marie's as well.

By the time the credits roll, I can almost guarantee you’ll feel cheated out of what could have well been a new title to your top ten list.  I have to say that it took me several viewings to understand what kind of ideas and themes writer/director Alexandre Aja was trying to convey with High Tension.  At first, I was prepared to write a review based on the fact that it could have been a classic slasher film if only the actual story was further ironed out before shooting even began.  I'm glad that I didn't.  I found myself going back to the film over and over again based on style and thrills alone.  This film WILL have you on the edge of your seat almost throughout the whole 90 minutes.  After the killer is further introduced there is no turning back because High Tension is one huge and incredible chase scene.  If you feel let down by the ending, I'd run through it again paying special attention to the last 10 minutes of the film, and some of the dialogue that gets traded back and forth between Marie and the killer.  I believe the last 10 minutes holds the real twist to this story.

As for gore?  Oh baby, does this flick deliver!  I have yet to see kills that are as brutal as High Tension's.  Perhaps you may say they are just a tad bit over the top, but then again, I don't hear too many complaints these days about kills being too over-the-top by fans of such films.  Let us just say that it lives up to its rumored NC-17 rating, although these days the unrated version seems to be the most popular on the store shelves.

Performances by our two leading ladies are both spectacular.  They create an incredible sense of urgency that will never quite let you go.  As for Aja?...brilliant direction!  The film is incredibly dark and troubling with shades of bright colors running in and out of the backgrounds.    It has a late 70’s feel to it so the picture will always look a tad grainy and almost pixilated at times, but a lot of this has to do with the incredible lighting techniques that are used extensively throughout the film.

If you are a slasher fan, I'll be surprised if High Tension doesn't find your way into your top ten slashers of all time, even if it takes more than one viewing.  I highly recommend it even if the ending won’t be satisfying to all who witness it.

Lions Gate has released the unrated version of the film and present the feature in excellent quality and sound.  The DVD is also loaded with more special features and commentaries than you could possibly ask for.  It’s a great package to one of those films that needs to be discussed.