When "Saw" was released just a few months ago, it was tauted as a return to the hardcore and unrelenting horror films of the 70's and 80's.  While it was quite popular to many horror fans, I was a bit let down by the inconsistent (and sometimes corny) script and horrible acting (both of which, oddly enough, can be attributed to the same person).

Last night, I finally got to see the 2003 French film "Haute Tension" (via an $8.99 Hong Kong DVD purchased off of eBay).  Yeah, "Saw" was alright, but "Haute" (renamed "High Tension" for the North American release in June) kicks some major ass and is, without a doubt, the best psycho-killer-on-the-loose film to be made since "Seven."

The story is as follows: college students Marie (played by the beautifully powerful Cecile DeFrance) and Alex (Maiwenn LeBesco) go to the latter's parent's house located in rural France to begin studying for upcoming final exams.  From this point on, any form of a story abruptly ends.  This is balls-to-the-wall horror at its absolute best.  All you need know is that a killer (whom is introduced to the audience in the form of a very, um, interesting fallatio scene), visits the home and promptly kills Alex's entire family (dog and child included) and kidnaps the girl herself; he has no clue of Marie's existence.

Thus begins a fantastic voyage through the macabre and death; scenes of violence are up to a "Kill Bill" level (only not presented in black and white).  Without a doubt, "Haute Tension" has one of the best and most original decapitations ever put to film.  It should be no surprise, then, that the gore is supplied by "Zombi 2" make-up man, Giannetto de Rossi.  Blood flows like it is coming out of a faucet, yet not so much that it looks comical.

Reading up on director and co-writer Alexandre Aja, it came as no surprise to me that in many interviews, he says that he is a huge fan of the great grimey horror classics of the 70's and 80's.  Along with co-writer Gregory Levasseur, the duo was able to produce a script that keeps the dialogue to an absolute minimum (which, in the case of this film, is bloody fantastic).  Instead, we get some great horror film moments with only the most realistic of dialogue (no "There has to be some kind of scientific explanation..." garbage here).  We get the basics, and that's all we need.

Whereas other films that try to emulate that 70's feel (I.e.: "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" '03, the aforementioned "Saw") come off as cheesy homages, Aja and Levasseur where able to come up with something wholly original and worthwhile to the viewer.  This is the first great horror film of the new millenium, and it only took five years (technically three) to be produced.

Now the one thing that somewhat ruins the experience: the ending.  And while at first I was very upset with the outcome, now that I have had some time to think about it, I have to say it is not that big of a deal.  All you must know is that with fifteen minutes to go, a bit of a twist appears that may leave a few watchers dissapointed.  But trust me, do not let it ruin the experience because there is still just so much more to see (there's even a bit of a jump in the very last second of the film).

Dig that funky soundtrack too.

Unfortunately for North American viewers like myself, this one has been pushed back from its original debut of February 2005 to June 2005.  Why?  Because the decision was made to release this as an R-rated feature (as opposed to its original NC-17 rating) in the U.S. in the hope to reach a wider audience.  A true shame, considering the gore effects (no quick cuts in the Unrated version I saw) are fantastic and will serve to be a major loss to the R-rated variant.  

Here's hoping for an Unrated, Special Edition DVD sometime around Halloween...

***1/2 out of ****  

This just came out on DVD here in the UK a couple of weeks ago (it's not getting a theatrical release here) under the title "Switchblade Romance" which is kind of lame but makes way more sense once you've seen the film. I got my copy today.

I really liked this one! The twist ending didn't bother me and it actually fits looking back on the rest of the film. It is unexpected but hey at least it tried to be original. It also doesn't make the rest of the movie that comes before it any less suspenseful, violent or entertaining so I don't see much cause for complaint.

Basically I agree with everything Syco said. Love that decapitation lol. There aren't a HUGE number of kills (maybe 5 or 6?) but they're all very memorable (the only off screen one actually be the most disturbing...). It has a number of suspense sequences (love that scene in the gas station!) that are all very effective, which keeps the film very tight. This, along with the gore, makes for a great slasher film that also makes it's own mark in the sub-genre.

I think mine is the uncut version as it's the only release the UK is going to get. It's definitely bloody and gory! There are also some cool extra features included, such as a 36 min making of, a featurette on the special effects and an audio commentary with the director and lead actress. I haven't checked it all out yet but it seems like a nice little package for a great film!

Ian