06/21/06 High Tension

High Tension (2003), directed by Alexandre Aja

watched solo; DVD (borrowed from Jason) @ home

Staying true to a bare-bones (pardon the pun) and straight-forward horror movie, this one is a strong entry from talented French director Aja. It's a simple set-up, minimally dialogued, expertly executed, and intrinsically unnerving film (as the title would lead you to believe). Two female college buddies, Marie and Alex, on a semester break head off to Alex's parents' remote country house for some peace and quiet. That's anything but what they get. Already exposing Marie to an unfamiliar and vulnerable enviornment, night sets on the quiet house. Terrible things are about to happen while Marie is, let's say, preoccupied with herself in the upstairs guest room. A psychopathic killer is on the loose, and he comes knocking on the front door...leading to a horrendous killing spree of the family, save Marie & Alex. Using what she must think is smarts (but I thought she was quite possibly the dumbest heroine in horror movie lore), she attempts to save her friend and herself from the violent killer. Trapped in the back of the killer's truck, they make a cross-town trek through the night, with lots of twists, turns and chills along the way. It's brutal, it's violent, it's bloody...and it will make you jump more than once. Making up their escape route on the fly, Marie must calm her mortified friend, and deal with the inner-most thoughts of the deviant psychopath. It's a good ol' fashioned scary movie, with little but the characters and the blood to frighten you. Some plot twists here seem re-hashed and expected, but the thrills are worth it I think. The Marie chick is bananas. Let's just say, she's probably the worst friend anyone could ever have...and never invite her to your parents' summer home. Horror movie Bad Idea #1. She manages to break every cardinal rule for escaping a psychopath in the movie anyway, so the Bad Ideas tally is somewhere in the hundreds.

4 out of 5 stars