High Tension
High Tension (French: Haute tension, French pronunciation: [ot tɑ̃sjɔ̃]; released in the United Kingdom as Switchblade Romance) is a 2003 French slasher film directed by Alexandre Aja, co-written with Grégory Levasseur, and starring Cécile de France and Maïwenn, alongside Philippe Nahon appearing in supporting roles. Its plot follows two female students who arrive at a secluded farmhouse to study, where they are shortly invaded by a serial killer.
| High Tension | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
| French | Haute tension |
| Directed by | Alexandre Aja |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Maxime Alexandre |
| Edited by | Baxter |
| Music by | François Eudes |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | EuropaCorp |
Release date |
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Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $2.5 million |
| Box office | $6.8 million |
Associated with the New French Extremity movement, High Tension was picked up by Lions Gate Entertainment following a successful screening at the Midnight Madness section of the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was re-dubbed in English and re-edited to secure an R rating. Lions Gate then spent $14 million to open the film in wide release in the United States, where it eventually only grossed $3.6 million; Lions Gate later released the original cut on Blu-ray and DVD.
All of the effects were created by Italian horror make-up artist Giannetto De Rossi, a favorite of late director Lucio Fulci.