This was a great movie, unlike all of the plotless money-earners that directors are peddling out. Had an awesome twist ending.

Well, I've been waiting quite a long time for this movie to come out on dvd and when i whatched it, it seemed a waste of time, but it kept me thinking throughout the movie. it deserves a 5 no more though.

Honestly, High Tension is not a good movie... but I loved it! it is the definition of what a horror movie was supposed to be ten years ago. So get out your official Slasher handbook and let's run down the checklist. Weapons: axe, butcher knife, barbwire, shotgun, chainsaw, revolver, switchblade. Check. We'll obviously need a dark cornfield (must be easy to get lost in). Check. Cut the phone lines. The police should be of absolutely no help. Check and check. Stir in some nudity and extremely graphic violence (including, but not limited to, decapitation). Check. But wait... there must be a twist... one that has been used so much that the viewer almost might not be expecting it. Check. How about some creepy music? Muse's "New Born" fits so perfectly in this film that it is amazing it wasn't tailor made for it. Bottom line: if you want to see a horror movie that reminds you why you started watching horror movies in the first place... High Tension fits the bill. Although (ironically) the film is entirely in French. Wait! I almost forgot the most important part: Enough blood to flood New Orleans all over again... Check.… Expand

I saw the NC-17 version at the Toronto Film Festival--it was amusingly ghoulish and somewhat suspenseful until the last 15 minutes or so--which ruined it so thorougly that our audience wanted to tear down the screen. An R-rated dubbed version sounds even more idiotic. Avoid.

Highest... Tension... And... Gore... EVER!

Absolutely disturbing and at moments breath taking.

Good gory fun. Overall, it's an intelligent, daring take on the traditional slasher flick. Beware the cheap "twist" ending, though.

The "8" I give is to the original French version - not the horribly dubbed version that Lions Gate has decided to give us. I think horror fans would've stuck with an NC-17 subtitled version, they probably would have done better on word of mouth. This is the goriest, scariest movie I have seen in a long time. Unfortunately, inane dialogue dubbed with poor with French accents just makes the movie seem silly. Wait for the DVD and watch the original. You'll be scared witless. If you watch the dubbed version, you'll likely laugh.… Expand

No, the story wasn't all that great, but it kept me gritting my teeth and sitting on edge, which is a tribute to the camera work and editing. Brutal, but that is what a slasher film is suppose to be. Ending twist was so much better than what Hollywood ever puts out and that flashlight swaying back and forth - classic suspense.

Boring and suspenseless and then comes the most ridiculous twist which seems to exist only to anatagonize the audience. Those people who try to rationalize this movie are either gullible or stoned.

I want my money back!!!!!

I have two words to describe this movie: um, right. It actually spends most of its time being a pretty good example of what it is, which is a slasher pic that I was expecting to prove itself as an homage to "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". It makes it almost all the way to reaching that end, and then it does one of the worst, stupidest, least logical, and downright nonsensical things that I've seen in any movie. We're talking top five most absurd twists in all of filmdom. It completely negates the entire movie before it and allows for most of it to cease making sense at all. Not only that, but it will surely become some sort of weapon against the freedom of sexual preference. The last to reach this level of absurdity was the gay Teletubbie. The more I think about this movie, the more pissed off I get. It was almost pretty good in the genre, and then it becomes an astronomical piece of creeee-ap. The only reason I would suggest anyone else see this is to have another person to discuss how mind-numbingly terrible the movie reveals itself to be. Buy a ticket to a quality movie and sneak into this one if you feel the need to spend the next few days becoming increasingly appalled by what the movie ultimately presents itself to be. Yikes.… Expand

Absolute crap.

Before my rating, let it be known that this movie deserves every negative rating it has received. Why? If a film such as this reaches a large audience, it will be the subject of much animosity once the obvious copycat mass murders occur in real life. Ok. So I gave it a 10. That's simply because I've watched some f...ed up movies, but High Tension trumps them all. The first scene includes a man receiving head from.... a severed head? Yeah. Oh, but don't worry. I didn't ruin anything for you. After spending the first 20 minutes complaining how poor the dubbed voices are, your next hour or so is spent in ball-throbbing suspense. Enjoy.… Expand

Great movie up until the plot twist. Why did they ruin a perfectly good movie. Actually was suspensful and shocking up until the twist. After that the movie is just laughable.

It's been a week since I've seen it and I'm still pissed at the ending. I spend most of my time stopping random people on the street imploring them not to waste their money on this movie. Smoothly most people have never heard of it.

Horribly cliche and unrealistic. The only reason I gave it above a 2 was because Muse was used on the soundtrack.

I just got done watching this flim on the Movie network. Not very good. I would have given it a 7 or close 8 if it wasn't for the fact that TOoooooo many things have to be forgiven for the ending to work. At first it was good. It was like the old school slasher when there were very few poeple and that ONE killer. But thinking back on the sences after seeing the ending is too weird. At first (like I said) it seemed like maybe it was biulding to some kind of 'kitty' slasher and Texas Chainsaw Massarce, and unlike Riren who thinks that this has bee done so much (I;ve seen thousands of movies including over seas and this polt isnt AS overdone as you seem to think) No....I dont mind the story if it wasn't for ALL those mistakes after knowing the ending. There was a cool move on the surrvilence camera that really surpised me, but only because the movie was so outrageously pointing in one completley differnet way. The movie is way to out there that it makes it too impossible to understand becasue of the lack of actual common sense in a movie thats trying to make you believe in it.… Expand

I have no idea who "Chad S" is, nor do I have any idea what the "Metacritic Advance Scout Team" entails. But I must ask... why are poorly written, xenophobic rants given a stamp of approval on this site? This cretin's profoundly idiotic review (which housed some of the worst grammar in the history of the English language) not only misunderstood the film in question, but also managed to throw in some indescribably vulgar cultural elitism that couldn't possibly have been more wide of the mark. I like this site. But don't start bigging up meatheaded mouth breathers, lest your fanbase head for the tomato hills.... ANYWAY, this film is superb. The infamous plot twist IS a massive misjudgement, but when a director has spent the past eighty minutes thrilling you to the bone, forgiveness is all that it deserves. A cult classic in the making.… Expand

As a fan of Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I am always on the lookout for the next horror film to make me say to myself, "Why am I watching this?" Films that make one feel, well, dirty, are every horror fans dream. Films that tap into the human's lizard brain and say "WHOA NELLIE! This is humanity at its worst! And best!" See, horror films have heroes and villains. Hero is supposed to vanquish villian. However, in this world of postmodernism, villain is hero and villain becomes iconic figure. Like Leatherface. And Freddy. And Jason. They become action figures to collect. When the audience cheers when the bad guy slices and dices the innocent, I worry for our civilization. High Tension looked as though the film makers had brought back the old-fashioned "bad guy with no redeeming value." The "serial killer" in HT is big, fat, sweaty, and sadistic. As viewers, we know what he thinks of woman as his introduction to us coincides with his enjoying a bit of fellatio with a severed head. Yep, I thought, "Here we go! Why am I watching this? I have an almost PhD. Granted it IS in pop culture, and I write all the time about this stuff. But, Jeez Louise, that is just WRONG." I thought, "This is going to be a helluva 85 minute ride." Nope. In fact, if you see the film, you won't believe who has been demonized. Not the fat, sweaty, sadistic serial killer. Nope. What has been relagated to serial kiler status? Sexual preference. Listen, if you see the film, after a certain weapon concerning barbed wire and a fence post has been utilised, LEAVE THE THEATER! The film is basically over. Now, there will be those poststructuralists who will argue the film is masterful in its manipulation of the viewer, its playful turn on events, etc. Don't listen to that crap. I give HT one star out of five.… Expand

Haven't seen crap this good since the last time I was on the farm.

Answers the question "why aren't they making more movies depicting oral sex with severed heads?"

Well done execution in style. An arthouse slasher flick that surprisingly works. Why is everyone so pissed at the ending? It gave the story some needed levels. Overall: Disturbing, nicely made horror film.

The twist in "High Tension" is so improbable, you have to wonder if this is some sort of art house revenge against the popcorn flick. This French import plays like a straight-faced send-up of the surprise ending trend in the ongoing slate of horror/thriller films that started with M. Night Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense". You get the feeling that the filmmaker is thumbing his nose at American moviegoers who covet them. Had "High Tension" not violated any physical laws, and the implicit responsibility that the artist always maintain a modicum of respect for the patron, this brutal film could've been interesting like how The Prodigy's video for "Smack my Bitch Up" was by changing the hunter/hunted relationship with a little tweak in the traditional gender assignation of roles. In the midst of "High Tension('s)" asinine revelation, there is terribly violent, but terribly effective scene involving a chainsaw and misguided female desire. "High Tension" is secretly arch. A committee of Hollywood screenwriters might've written the third act without a Dadaist agenda (or a clue that the film is incoherent), but not the French. "High Tension" is subliminally saying, "You Americans. You stupid, stupid Americans."… Expand

Carries on the tradition of slasher films. Tons of violence and gore, but not ridiculous like the Saw series. The movie doesn't make too much sense until the end where you'll either be surprised by the ending and or get pissed because you've been over-analyzing the entire film looking for a reason why. I was in the surprised "that's unexpected" camp, because it's a horror film. When was the last time you saw a horror film with an epic story? It's good for what it is and I don't think it was every trying to be more than what it is.… Expand

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.

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.