High Tension

release year: 2003
genre: suspense
viewing setting: home DVD, 7/1/06

synopsis: Two friends are at one's family's house deep in the country...and in the middle of the night, when everyone's asleep, a violent murderer shows up at the door.

impressions: For the first half, it went pretty much like I said above: this guy shows up in the middle of the night, quickly kills almost everyone, and then takes off with one of the friends. The other has to follow if she wants any chance of her friend surviving. The heroine didn't always do the smartest thing, but she did better than average (a lot of the others didn't, and paid the price.) I do have to say, there was a major twist at the end, and though it works, the movie might have been better off without it. Also, it wasn't well-supported by certain events from the beginning, and this really hurts the movie. It's like the filmmakers decided to throw in an unbelievable last-minute twist and not even bother to try and explain how it was possible given what the viewer's already seen. You'll have to watch it and judge for yourself.

something this movie has that no other movie has: A guy having some relations with a severed head.

acting: Cecile De France does a good job as the heroine who's home free, but has to make some fast decisions under stressful conditions. Maiwenn (no last name given) is her friend who gets attacked and kidnapped. Philippe Nahon is the weird, savage killer.

final word: Decent horror/suspense import from France, but it falls short of its potential.

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