High Tension is really two movies rolled into one film. First, High Tension is a horror movie. This is not a PG-13 Hollywood horror film. It's done in the style of 70's horror films ... very raw, graphic, and uncompromising. Viewers that are easily put off by gory and grim depictions of violence will hate this movie. But for viewers that like their horror films intense and unrelenting, you'll be satisfied with High Tension. Like older horror films, High Tension relies on tense situations, atmosphere, and graphic imagery to create a feeling of strong unease. Watch this film in the dark alone ... it is one of those rare horror movies that will actually deliver on its promised scares.
Unfortunately, in the last quarter or so of the film, the director attempts to elevate High Tension beyond just a well-done derivative of classic horror films, and introduces a twist in the tradition of The Sixth Sense or Fight Club. Where High Tension succeeds as a horror movie, it fails as a smart thriller. It is not so much that the twist is unnecessary ... it was an interesting premise and, had it been done properly, could have made High Tension a great stand-alone film. But the twist is implausible and does not withstand even the slightest bit of scrutiny. The twists in The Sixth Sense, The Usual Suspects, etc., were good because you could go back, re-watch the films, and still buy into the surprise.
**WARNING -- SPOILERS AHEAD** In High Tension, there is no male killer ... Maria has killed her friend's family and abducted Alex herself. She has Dissociative Identity Disorder -- or a split personality. The killer is a creation of her own psyche; she has been watching herself commit the acts of violence in the film. While this is an interest, albeit not original, twist, there are several things in the film that make this implausible. Where did Maria get the truck the killer drives? If she has been driving Alex in the truck, how was she able to drive the gas attendant's car out into the woods? And if she was not run off the road by a depraved male killer, how did she sustain the injuries on her head and arm? The twist just does not hold up to any scrutiny.
Unfortunately, in the last quarter or so of the film, the director attempts to elevate High Tension beyond just a well-done derivative of classic horror films, and introduces a twist in the tradition of The Sixth Sense or Fight Club. Where High Tension succeeds as a horror movie, it fails as a smart thriller. It is not so much that the twist is unnecessary ... it was an interesting premise and, had it been done properly, could have made High Tension a great stand-alone film. But the twist is implausible and does not withstand even the slightest bit of scrutiny. The twists in The Sixth Sense, The Usual Suspects, etc., were good because you could go back, re-watch the films, and still buy into the surprise.
**WARNING -- SPOILERS AHEAD** In High Tension, there is no male killer ... Maria has killed her friend's family and abducted Alex herself. She has Dissociative Identity Disorder -- or a split personality. The killer is a creation of her own psyche; she has been watching herself commit the acts of violence in the film. While this is an interest, albeit not original, twist, there are several things in the film that make this implausible. Where did Maria get the truck the killer drives? If she has been driving Alex in the truck, how was she able to drive the gas attendant's car out into the woods? And if she was not run off the road by a depraved male killer, how did she sustain the injuries on her head and arm? The twist just does not hold up to any scrutiny.