High Tension

High Tension
Theatrical release poster
FrenchHaute tension
Directed byAlexandre Aja
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMaxime Alexandre
Edited byBaxter
Music byFrançois Eudes
Production
companies
Distributed byEuropaCorp
Release date
  • 18 June 2003 (2003-06-18) (France)
Running time
95 minutes[1]
CountryFrance[1]
LanguageFrench
Budget$2.5 million[2]
Box office$6.8 million[3]

High Tension (French: Haute tension, French pronunciation: [ot tɑ̃sjɔ̃]; also known as Switchblade Romance in some international countries) is a 2003 French slasher film[4] directed by Alexandre Aja, co-written with Grégory Levasseur, and starring Cécile de France and Maïwenn. The plot focuses on two female students who drive to one of their family's secluded farmhouses to study for their exams, where a murderer shows up on the night of their arrival.

High Tension was theatrically released in France on June 18, 2003, and was screened at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the "Midnight Madness" section, where it was acquired by Lions Gate Entertainment. After being re-dubbed in English and re-edited to secure an R rating,[5] Lions Gate Entertainment then spent $14 million for a wide release in the United States on June 10, 2005,[6] where it ultimately grossed only $3.6 million.[7] It received mixed reviews from critics.

The film has been cited as being associated with the New Extremity movement.[8]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference bifi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Haute Tension Box Office". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  3. ^ "High Tension (2005)". Box Office Mojo. 30 June 2005. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
  4. ^ LeVasseur, Andrea. "High Tension". AllMovie. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  5. ^ "In 'Tension,' translating horror was a tricky business - the Boston Globe".
  6. ^ Keating, Gina. "Lions Gate CEO says lessons learned this year", Reuters, December 16, 2005
  7. ^ "High Tension".
  8. ^ Confronting Mortality: "The New French Extremity", the Hostel series and Outdated Terminology (Part 2 of 3)