El despertar del miedo

Sometimes, a twist can make a good horror all the better. Films like Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho,' Bong Joon Ho's 'Parasite' and Park Chan-wook's 'Oldboy' each contain unexpected twists in their respective tales that heightens the impact of their narratives. However, tepid efforts like Joseph Ruben's 'The Forgotten,' Sylvian White's 'I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer' and many of M. Night Shyamalan's offerings prove that not every story warrants a last-minute curveball. Sometimes, a predictable but well-executed scare is far better than a forced 'gotcha'.

Alexandre Aja's 'Haute Tension' (known in English as 'High Tension,' or by the far better title 'Switchblade Romance') falls into the latter category. It follows Marie and Alex, two friends on a trip through rural France, who are targeted by a vicious serial killer. What begins as a taut, brutal slasher with genuine suspense ultimately stumbles under the weight of a twist that strains both logic and patience.

Written alongside Grégory Levasseur, Aja's film begins as a relentless, nerve-shredding experience, paying clear homage to the brutal, no-frills exploitation horrors of the 1970's. Thriving on stripped-down simplicity, there's little in the way of excess, just pure, unrelenting suspense. The kills are visceral, bloody and executed with a savage intensity that will satisfy even the most hardened horror fans.

For much of its runtime, the film is a masterclass in sustained dread. However, instead of delivering a knockout blow in the final act, Aja stumbles at the finish line. The film's momentum comes to a screeching halt, derailed by a twist so absurd it retroactively undermines everything that came before it. Instead of elevating the horror, it forces one to re-evaluate the entire story- not with shock or awe, but with frustration and disbelief.

When this twist is finally revealed, it feels not only unnecessary but out of place, turning what had been a tense slasher into a convoluted mess betraying its earlier effectiveness. The carefully crafted atmosphere of dread is shattered, leaving viewers questioning the film's logic and whether the horror was ever truly genuine. What had been a terrifying experience collapses under the weight of its own contrivance, and the emotional stakes feel cheapened.

This is only worsened by the fact that the characters themselves are thinly drawn, lacking the depth needed to make their fate feel truly impactful. With little to latch onto beyond the immediate terror of their predicament, the film struggles to sustain emotional investment once its central conceit begins to unravel.

In the end, despite a strong start, 'High Tension' becomes a cautionary tale about the dangers of forcing a twist into a story when there is no need for one. Having said that, it does contain some bloody brilliant scenes of gory grotesquerie. From its opening moments, the film throttles one with scenes of unrelenting brutality. The kills are savage, designed not just to shock, but to immerse you in a Thomas Hobbesian world where life is nasty, brutish and short.

Additionally, it is visually striking, with Maxime Alexandre's stark cinematography contrasting the serene beauty of the French countryside with claustrophobic, blood-soaked interiors. This juxtaposition heightens the unsettling atmosphere, amplifying the film's tension.

Complementing this is François-Eudes Chanfrault's minimalistic and urgent score, mirroring the narrative's escalating terror. His use of songs by the likes of Muse and Ricchi e poveri also creates an ironic contrast, adding a layer of dark humour that deepens the film's dissonance.

Furthermore, the performances are strong, especially that of Cécile de France as Marie. Her ability to shift between fear, determination and terror adds emotional depth to her character, making Marie a (mostly) relatable and sympathetic figure amidst the brutal violence. Her performance anchors the film, grounding the escalating chaos even as the narrative grows increasingly outlandish. She elevates the material, making the most out of Levasseur and Aja's scant characterisation.

Maïwenn isn't given much to do other than scream and cry in the role of Alex- though she does that quite brilliantly. In addition, Philippe Nahon makes for a most menacing and memorable villain, elevating a criminally (and perhaps purposefully) underwritten part.

Ultimately, Alexandre Aja's 'High Tension' is a missed opportunity- a brutal ride sabotaged by its own twist. It bears comparison to Greg McLean's far superior 'Wolf Creek', both following a similar premise of two women being stalked by a serial killer in a rural location. While 'Wolf Creek' excels in its seedy realism, sustained tension and pitch-black humour, Aja's film falters with an unnecessary, convoluted twist that detracts from its terror. In the end, despite good performances, an evocative score and some creative scenes of bloodshed, it is high tension in name only.

"High Tension" is clearly intended as a cheery throwback to those halcyon days circa 1980 when you could see "Driller Killer," "Maniac," and "Nightmare" back-to-back in a center city grindhouse where the house lights never went up, only one seat in the place didn't reek of urine and sweat, and the poor teenage usher and concession stand worker huddled together in the lobby under a bare light bulb to avoid being knifed to death by some crazed street person. Of course, this film, while being just about the most violent film in recent memory, is French, somewhat arty, and extremely well made, certainly at odds with the subject matter of its homage. If a straight-ahead slasher film throwback with no self-reflective winking to the audience is your thing, then this will be your thing too. Otherwise, it just is what it is: well-made exploitation fare, right down to the silly, slap-your-head-and-say-"doh" final twist, just like back in the day.

As a horror film fan, I have wanted to see "High Tension" for a while, ever since I saw the delectably violent trailer and clips. It does not disappoint in the gory violence department, but I found it to be too short, with an abrupt ending. Still, the film is a haunting exploration of the darkest corners of the human psyche; a portrait that doubles, or maybe masquerades, as a slasher.

Cécile De France is good in the role of Marie, showing grit, nerve and, dare I say, tension when the role calls for it. Maïwenn Le Besco is also good as Alex, although her role does not demand much from her, except for a few scenes of considerable emotional range.

Two of the best aspects of the film are its cinematography and music. Cinematographer Maxime Alexandre paints the film in bluish, metallic, detached hues, that contribute to the effects of truly unapologetic on-screen violence. Composer François Eudes' score is an audio picture of disturbed peace and chaos brewing in the idyll of normalcy. Had it not been for these two elements, the film would not have been half as effective.

"High Tension" is not a must-see film by any means, but it is a must for art-house and horror film fans.

7/10

This film seems to me to lack balance between the combination of elements that it blends together: the thriller-suspense factor, the gore, and the "surprise" factor. It is a very irregular film, but it still boasts good style and good manners in atmosphere-building, even if it doesn't really live up to meet the expectations, at least for me.

The story goes about Marie and Alexia, best friends who drive up to Alexia's parents' countryside house, hoping to find some peace for studying. Instead, they'll have to fight a psychopathic killer in a macabre cat-and-mouse game.

The best part, in my opinion, is the mise-en-scene and the introduction of the characters and the storyline. Everything in those first sequences tells us that something horrible is going to happen, not only because we already know that we're watching a horror film. The dusty road, the scorching weather, the big corn fields... the real feel of a horror story scene is there. It increases with the night scenes, the shots of the house, the staircase, the corridors. The gloominess and inherent darkness of the place and the quiet surroundings perfectly do their job of preparing us for what's to come.

The story-telling loses steam after this part. Not being a big fan of gore, I didn't really care for the bloody murder scenes, but I'm sure that they'll be appreciated by many -they're rather truculent and well filmed. The duel between Marie and the killer didn't really work for me; in fact, I found it a little boring. On the whole, I thought the story was unoriginal and predictable, but, contrary to what many say, I don't think it's deceitful -I didn't feel that the director cheats on the audience with the ending. (I won't elaborate on this so as not to spoil the film for those who want to see it).

I have mixed feelings about "High Tension". On the one hand, for me, it is ineffective as a thriller, and flawed as an exercise of story-telling. On the other, however, the murky atmosphere and the darkness of the story and of its subtleties stuck with me for a while after seeing the film. I wouldn't watch it again, but I understand why many like it so much.

As many reviewers have said, this is one of the best body pile slashers films made ever, certainly in the last few years. Buckets of blood, great makeup and special effects, and some seriously genius ways of offing the good guys. But we also get one of the stupidest plot twists ever that not only ruins the vibe of the film, but makes the whole script seem completely incoherent. On multiple viewings you see the direction around this twist is actually quite well done, tons of small hints and some gross additions are noticed, but it's not worth it at all. If there was no plot twist, this would have easily gotten a 9 in my book, but it's lucky it got the 6 with that dumb idea tacked on for no reason.