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High Tension
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Metascore
42 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critics What's this?

User Score
5.5 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 48 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Cécile De France, Maïwenn Le Besco
  • Summary: A white-knuckle journey into the heart of fear, this is the terrifying story of two girls' battle for survival at the hands of a sadistic psychopath. (Lions Gate Films)

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 30
  3. Negative: 7 out of 30
  1. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Jeremy Knox
    80
    A movie that wants you to squirm in your seat and judged by that standard, it works brilliantly.
  2. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    60
    The first two thirds of the screenplay by Aja and cowriter Gregory Levasseur is a relentless exercise in bare-bones nastiness.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    38
    One of the ugliest movies I've ever seen. Even though it occurs mostly in the dark, the open flesh wounds are both graphic and implausible.

See all 30 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 29
  3. Negative: 11 out of 29
  1. Robusualsuspect
    10
    Un film angoissant et bien dans l'esprit du cinéma d'horreur francais, avec une cecile de france convanquante dans son role pourtant compliqué a jouer.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. realndn
    5
    I read about this movie online and decided to watch it after already knowing the ending...big mistake. Knowing the ending completely ruins the entire movie. Without going into spoiler territory, the only redeeming quality of this movie is the incredibly hot main character. That alone bumps this up to a 5 for me.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. Riren
    3
    High Tension has a twist ending that's simply been done too much now, and this is the worst execution of that particular twist ending to date. I won't spoil it for you, but honestly, this thing has been too many times to be novel, and too few times to be acceptable when repeated. It's like a slap in the face after you've put up with all the overreaching "tension" of the movie. The movie earns its credit with disgusting (if occasionally physically implausible - you can't behead someone by pushing a bureau against them) deaths and its dirtier, more realistic vision of the world. It can certainly make you squirm, but not as often as a horror lover might hope. Indeed, its ultimate lack of substance is the most bothersome part of the film, until you realize there was supposed to be something deeper going on all along. Then it all falls apart, in a pile of gore.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 29 User Reviews

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