Haute tension (2003)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Alexandre Aja

Writers:

Alexandre Aja (writer)
Grégory Levasseur (writer)

Release Date:

10 June 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Hearts will bleed.

Plot:

Two college friends, Marie and Alexa, encounter loads of trouble (and blood) while on vacation at Alexa's parents' country home when a mysterious killer invades their quiet getaway.

Plot Keywords:

Student | Blood | Chase | Bound And Gagged | Unrequited Love

Awards:

4 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Cécile De France	...	Marie
Maïwenn Le Besco	...	Alexia (as Maïwenn)
Philippe Nahon	...	Le tueur
Franck Khalfoun	...	Jimmy
Andrei Finti	...	Alex's Father
Oana Pellea	...	Alex's Mother
Marco Claudiu Pascu	...	Tom
Jean-Claude de Goros	...	Police Captain
Bogdan Uritescu	...	Gendarme
Gabriel Spahiu	...	Homme voiture

Directed by
Alexandre Aja

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Alexandre Aja		writer
Grégory Levasseur		writer

Produced by
Alexandre Arcady	....	producer
Robert Benmussa	....	producer
Andrei Boncea	....	executive producer
Inigo Lezzi	....	line producer
Mehdi Sayah	....	assistant producer
Luc Besson	....	co-producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
François Eudes

Cinematography by
Maxime Alexandre

Film Editing by
Baxter
Al Rundle
Sophie Vermersch

Casting by
Florin Kevorkian		(as Florin Chevorchian)

Production Design by
Renald Cotte Verdy
Tony Egry

Art Direction by
Grégory Levasseur

Set Decoration by
Gabriel Nechita
Gabriela Nechita

Makeup Department
Gabi Cretan	....	makeup artist
Giannetto De Rossi	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Andrei Boncea	....	executive in charge of production
Attila Egry	....	unit manager
Calin Furtunescu	....	production manager
Inigo Lezzi	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alina Apostu	....	assistant director
Anthony Collard	....	second assistant director
Theodor Halacu-Nicon	....	first assistant director
Virgil Nicolaescu	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Blehan Bogdan	....	construction crew
Adrian Cancer	....	storyboard artist
Agler Catalin	....	construction crew
Ann Chakraverty	....	set dresser
Paul Dobre	....	construction crew
Dorin Grigorescu	....	construction crew
Ionut Mandruta	....	construction crew
Gabriela Nechita	....	construction crew (as Gabi Nechita)
Gabriela Nechita	....	storyboard artist
Rusetelu Nicolae	....	construction crew
Calin Papura	....	construction crew
Tudor Polizu	....	construction crew
Serge Recorbet	....	construction manager
Elsa Richez	....	key painter
Camelia Sirbu	....	construction crew
Doru Stan	....	construction crew

Sound Department
Robert Althoff	....	sound re-recordist: United States version
Pierre André	....	sound
Emmanuel Augeard	....	sound mixer
Guillaume Battistelli	....	assistant sound editor
Ron Bedrosian	....	adr mixer: United States version
John Bires	....	additional sound: United States version
Christian Brousselle	....	post-synchronization
Mihai Burtan	....	sound
Marian Costea	....	sound
Jeff Eisner	....	additional sound: United States version
Ludovic Escallier	....	assistant sound editor
Paul Flinchbaugh	....	digital assistant editor: United States version
Jeff Glueck	....	additional sound: United States version
Loïc Gourbe	....	sound recordist
Thierry Havard	....	boom operator
Chris Jargo	....	sound effects editor: United States version
François Lepeuple	....	foley artist (as François Le Peuple)
Didier Lesage	....	sound engineer
Didier Lozahic	....	sound editor
Didier Lozahic	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jeff Malham	....	re-recording engineer
Craig Mann	....	sound re-recordist: United States version
Olivier Marlangeon	....	assistant foley artist
Stefanie Melchor	....	additional sound: United States version
Glenn T. Morgan	....	supervising sound editor: United States version
Cristi Onutu	....	sound
Mark Relyea	....	sound effects editor: United States version
Sébastien Savine	....	assistant sound editor
Melissa Sherwood Hofmann	....	sound re-recording mixer: United States version
Matthew Sordello	....	additional sound: United States version
Branden Spencer	....	digital assistant editor: United States version
Peter Staubli	....	sound effects editor: United States version
Greg Steele	....	adr mixer: United States version
Dean St. John	....	adr mixer: United States version
Bogdan Varzaru	....	sound
David A. Whittaker	....	sound effects editor: United States version
Ben Wilkins	....	sound editor
David Young	....	additional sound: United States version
Greg Zimmerman	....	adr recordist

Special Effects by
Adrian Popescu	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Benjamin Ageorges	....	digital compositor
Stephane Bidault	....	visual effects
Christophe Chanvin	....	visual effects supervisor
Jean-Antoine Lacolle	....	digital compositor
Matthias Weber	....	visual effects producer

Stunts
Szabolcs Cseh	....	stunts (as Szabo Cseh)
Marius Florian	....	stunt double: Marie
Von Totojescu	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Mihai Burtan	....	assistant camera
Catalin Ciobanu	....	electrician
Marian Costea	....	camera operator
Viorel Diaconescu	....	gaffer
Titi Gavrila	....	assistant camera
Ionut Lupulescu	....	clapper loader
Sorin Nainer	....	still photographer
Cristi Onutu	....	assistant camera
Toni Salabasev	....	still photographer
Bogdan Stanciu	....	Steadicam operator
Remus Tanase	....	key grip
Bogdan Varzaru	....	camera operator

Casting Department
Domnica Circiumaru	....	extras casting

Editorial Department
Serge Anthony	....	color timer (as Serge Antony)
Adam Fox Forrest	....	dvd menu designer
Magali Magnan	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Matthew Bellamy	....	composer: song "New Born"
Jérôme Devoise	....	score mixer
Jérôme Lateur	....	music supervisor
Vincent Lebegue	....	music legal coordinator
Elise Luguern	....	music production supervisor
Mehdi Sayah	....	assistant music supervisor

Transportation Department
Adrian Nita	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Andra Barbuica	....	script supervisor
Bob Buchholz	....	english language director
Razvan Caminschi	....	production assistant
Liliana Ciobanu	....	production assistant
Jean-Patrick Flande	....	unit publicist
Catherine Grandjean	....	administrator
Nicu Kasza	....	production assistant
Dorina Popa	....	production assistant
Dominique Segall	....	press attache
Karl Sigwald	....	production assistant
Luminita Costinela Stanciu	....	production secretary
Doru Stan	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Alexandre Films
• Europa Corp.

Distributors

• EuropaCorp. Distribution (2003) (France) (theatrical)
• Fox Pathé Europa (2004) (France) (DVD)
• Bioscop (2005) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2005) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• EuropaCorp. Japan (2006) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Lions Gate Films (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Maple Pictures (2005) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Optimum Releasing (2004) (UK) (theatrical)
• Accent Film Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Eagle Pictures (2005) (Italy) (all media)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD) (North America)
• Manga Films (Spain)
• Media Cooperation One (MC-One) (2004) (Germany) (video)

Special Effects

• AutreChose

Other Companies

• Cinécool  camera equipment
• Jeremy Walker + Associates  publicity
• S.I.S.  post-synchronization
• Studio Lincoln  post-synchronization
• Technovision  camera equipment

Also Known As:

Switchblade Romance (International: English title) (UK) (DVD box title)
High Tension (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic bloody killings, terror, sexual content and language. (edited version); Rated NC-17 for strong graphic violence.

Runtime:

91 min | Germany:85 min (DVD version) | South Korea:84 min (re-cut version) | USA:89 min (edited version)

Country:

France

Language:

French | English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS (US version) | Dolby Digital (US version) | Dolby Digital EX (original version)

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:R (edited for re-rating) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Australia:R | Czech Republic:15 | Sweden:15 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Argentina:16 | Portugal:M/18 | USA:R (cut) | USA:Unrated (DVD rating) | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (cut) (DVD rating) (uncut) | Germany:18 (SPIO/JK) (cut) | Austria:18 | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Canada:R (Alberta) | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Norway:18 | Singapore:R21 | South Korea:Limited (original rating) | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R (edited version) | Germany:18 (cut) | Canada:16+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Bucharest, Romania

Company:

Alexandre Films

Trivia:

The only studio filming done was shooting the scenes between Marie and Alexia inside the killer's truck. The studio itself was merely a garage.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the killer is pumping gas at the station, the number of clicks of the pump does not match the amount of gas being dispensed.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Marie: I won't let anyone come between us any more.

Movie Connections:

References I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale (1973)

Soundtrack:

I Believe

A rush of adrenaline

The title of this marvellous French horror thriller translates directly into English as 'High Tension', and as anyone who's seen it will tell you; it's an apt title. Simply put, Switchblade Romance (to give it English release, and better, title) is a pure adrenaline rush throughout. The film forsakes substance in favour of masses of tension and the result is a film that is guaranteed to get your heart racing. The fact that the film features numerous sequences of extreme gore doesn't exactly hinder it either. There has been a surge of good, inventive horror coming from overseas and independent studios recently; the likes of May, Dog Soldiers and Sleepless being among the best of them, and Switchblade Romance sits nicely alongside the cream of the recent crop. This film follows two friends, Alex and Marie who go to stay with Alex's parents in their country home. However, things go awry when a man breaks into the home and brutally murders the family. We then follow Alex and Marie through a roller coaster ride of tension and suspense as they try their best not get sliced and diced!

The film is very stylishly shot, and this has lead many to label it a 'Giallo'. This is most certainly not true, and there isn't much other than the style of the movie to suggest this. Switchblade Romance is more of a Texas Chainsaw Massacre style horror driven slasher than a Giallo; the film clearly knows this also, with a direct homage to the seventies classic towards it's climax. The amount of gore on display is impressive, and several scenes are certainly not for the feint-hearted. There's quite an array of weaponry in the film also, from the plain and simple switchblade, to much more exciting weapons like barbed wire, various guns, an axe and, my personal favourite, the chainsaw! In fact, I am pleased to report that Switchblade Romance features what is maybe the most brutal chainsaw scene ever! Aside from the weapons and gore, this film is also of note for it's music. The original score sets just the right tone for the goings on - it's atmospheric, but steady and almost like a lullaby, which fits with the film's style nicely. Switchblade Romance also features one of the best uses of original music of recent years, with a great scene that incorporates Muse's "New Born".

Switchblade Romance is pure style, and a complete adrenaline rush. Tension isn't in the film, it IS the film. In spite of it's lack of substance, this movie will have you on the edge of your seat and begging for more. Add that to some lovely music, classy acting and enough gore to fill an abattoir - and what you've got is the makings of a cult classic!