Haute tension (2003)
Two friends (Mari and Alex) escape to the solitude of the country to study for their exams. The night they arrive a strange man shows up on the doorsteps and violently murders Mari's family. He abducts Mari and unaware of Alex's presence in the house, she manages to sneak into his vehicle seemingly unnoticed. The murder spree continues at a gas station when Alex begs the attendant for help. The confrontation between the abductor and Mari comes to a violent and bloody climax in the woods, with Mari freeing her friend from her chains.
Haute tension is connected to French Extremism, one of the movement's goals is to break every rule and taboo and approach sex and violence with an unforgiving approach. The film was picked up by distributor Lions Gate Entertainment after a successful screening at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2003, although several minutes of violence had to be cut from the film in order for it to receive an R rating from the MPAA.
In Aja's own words, "High Tension was conceived as an ode to the 1970's American horror/slasher films I loved as a teenager."
Director: Alexandre Aja
Writer: Alexandre Aja
Cast: Cecille De France and Maiwenn
Running time: 91 minutes
Year: 2003
Studio: Lions Gate Entertainment
Watch the trailer here
additional readings
Cameron, Allan. "Colour, Embodiment And Dread In High Tension And A Tale Of Two Sisters." Horror Studies3.1 (2012): 87-103. Film & Television Literature Index. Web.
Terrones, Zulma. "The Repressed Tension In Haute Tension." Film Matters 3.1 (2012): 25-29. Film & Television Literature Index. Web.
Terrones, Zulma. "The Repressed Tension In Haute Tension." Film Matters 3.1 (2012): 25-29. Film & Television Literature Index. Web.