People can be killed in a variety of ways. People can be stabbed, people can be shot, people can be beaten, and if any of these things happen to a person (providing that emergency medical assistance is not immediately administered) then that person is likely to die. There are some murderers, though, who are not satisfied with the flimsy guarantees such methods provide, killers such as “The Killer” featured in High Tension. Call it dedication, call it professionalism, call it insanity but The Killer is willing to go to great lengths to ensure that his intended victim has flat-lined. If a person was to find that they were being skull fucked by The Killer, even after having been beheaded, then said person could at least rest assured that The Killer would only be displaying an admirable commitment to his cause, after all, said decapitated individual could be playing dead... what kind of homicidal maniac wouldn’t take the time to check?

High Tension is everything the title implies, from the opening shots a sense of dread pervades the film and after The Killer makes his entrance the tension rockets to almost unbearable levels, fuelled by the constant threat of extreme violence. After witnessing the brutal murder of her best friend Alexia’s family, Marie plays an extended game of cat and mouse with The Killer. She sneaks around the converted farmhouse hoping to evade the killer and summon rescue. The Killer though, has every intention of placing a chained Alexia into the back of his truck so that he might enjoy some quality time with her in more comfortable surroundings and so the chase begins. Throughout the film the cinematography, music and performances all contribute towards making High Tension the blood soaked, visceral experience it no doubt intends to be and it is easy to imagine watching the whole film without taking a breath... it is just so intense.

However like every roller-coaster ride, High Tension has its twists and in this case the plot turns at a right-angle. There are the two different ways of dealing with twists in a movie, there’s The Usual Suspects method, a meticulous script, scrupulously filmed allows the audience to enjoy a second viewing in order that they might spot all the clues and enjoy the new meanings of action and dialogue that are only apparent once the films secret is known. Then there is the Fight Club style of twist, towards the end of the film, the filmmaker reveals that all the audience have seen so far has been from the perspective of one character, such a method allows for more wild and unexpected twists to occur. Fight Club is one of the only movies that have employed this method to such an effective degree that the movie warrants a second watch. The key to the this method is that the character the film focuses on must be present in every scene until the twist occurs. Some people will hate the twist in High Tension, it conforms to neither method and therefore the effectiveness is diminished. However, the revelation definitely comes as a surprise and this alone warrants its existence as most films are as predictable as the fact that most people will defecate at least once in any given day.

In High Tension Alexandre Aja has created a skull fuck of a movie, and with the twist he’s attempted to go for a really, really deep skull fuck, and as a result some people will not enjoy it, this is because, believe it or not, some people just don’t enjoy or even want to try being skull fucked. If you are still unconvinced then you should attempt to skull fuck somebody, the chances are that they’ll want to stop you and will not try to skull fuck you in return. Go on, just put it to the test, ask a friend if they fancy a skull fuck, offer a skull fuck instead of a hug, put a sign on your front door advertising the fact that you offer a skull fucking service... just watch out for people like The Killer, they might just be tempted to skull fuck you first.

Rating: 8/10

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