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Features: DVD, Widescreen, Unrated, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby, Digital Audio
Marie and Alexia are classmates and best friends. Hoping to prepare for their college exams in peace and quiet, they decide to spend a weekend in the country at Alexia's parents' secluded farmhouse. But in the dead of night, a stranger knocks on the front door. And with the first swing of his knife, the girls' idyllic weekend turns into an endless night of horror...System Requirements: Running Time 90 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE
"This film will scare the hell out of you. Relentless and unbearably frightening!" Dennis Dermody, Paper
"The best horror movie of the year! So scary you won't sleep for weeks." Shawn Edwards, Fox-TV
"A must see!" Time Out New York
Editor's Note
In the 1970s, moviegoers reveled in a new sub-genre of horror films that were low on plot, required only the most basic acting skills, and called upon dumb teenagers to die onscreen deaths in a multitude of strange and horrific ways. The slasher movie was born, and with it came classic features such as THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, HALLOWEEN, and FRIDAY THE 13TH. The genre enjoyed a postmodern revival in the late-20th and early-21st centuries with films such as SCREAM and SCARY MOVIE, but French director Alexandre Aja (FURIA) hauls the slasher film back to its roots with his gore-addled romp HIGH TENSION.Like the most effective additions to the genre, HIGH TENSION's plot is elemental, and simply serves as a springboard for Aja to deliver lashes of blood and guts. Alex (Maiwenn Le Besco) and Marie (Cecile De France) are two teenage girls who head out to Alex's family home in the French countryside. Once there, their idyllic and peaceful time is abruptly disturbed when a maniac breaks into the house and butchers Alex's parents. The shadowy figure captures Alex and throws her into his van, while Marie escapes and sneaks into the vehicle in order to save her friend. By affording very little screen time to the unhinged protagonist who attacks the family, Aja creates a genuinely scary villain, recalling Wes Craven's treatment of Freddy Krueger in the first NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET movie. While the violence is explicit and the girls fit perfectly into their roles, Aja prevents the film from lapsing into parody by packing a mind-bending twist into the plot. A valuable and fun addition to the canon of slasher films, HIGH TENSION shows there is still plenty of life left in the genre.
| Features | Audio Commentary | | Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo | | Includes Both English Dubbed And Original French Language Versions | | Interactive Menus | | Music Montage | | Previews | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Three Featurettes On The Making Of The Film |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Lions Gate |
| Release Date: 5/2/2006 |
| Running Time: 95 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2005 | | Catalog ID: 18353 | | UPC: 00031398183532 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: French | | Available Audio Tracks: French | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | USA Today
"TENSION is tense....[A] skillfully nightmarish sleeper..." 06/10/2005 p.4EJames Berardinelli's ReelViews 8 of 10
Despite not containing a moment of story-based originality, High Tension is arguably the best horror movie since The Blair Witch Project (and that covers a lot of ground). This is what Jeepers Creepers could have been had it maintained the taut pace of its first half. High Tension is a nerve-jangler that keeps the level of suspense high, throws in moments of black comedy, and turns everything on its ear in the final ten minutes. The ending is a source of endless debate among fans of the film. It's a love-it-or-hate-it kind of thing, with plenty of viewers falling on either side of the issue. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 2 of 10
I am tempted...to issue a Spoiler Warning and engage in discussion of several crucial events in the movie that would seem to be physically, logically and dramatically impossible, but clever viewers will be able to see for themselves that the movie's plot has a hole that is not only large enough to drive a truck through, but in fact does have a truck driven right through it. - Roger Ebert
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