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High Tension stinks like last weeks roadkill

High Tension stinks like last weeks roadkill
by Rajkhet Dirzhud-Rashid - SGN A&E Writer High Tension Directed by Alexandre Aja Starring Cecile de France, Philippe Nahon, Maiwenn, Franck Khalfoun, Andrei Finti, Oana Pellea, Jean-Claude De Goros, Bogdan Uritescu and Gabriel Spahiu. Now Playing First, I have to say the polishing the pearl scene (which comes out of nowhere) and some of the more horrific killing scenes in High Tension did pique my interest a bit, but the rest of the film totally reeked. By its end I wanted to find the director and pimp slap him upside the head a bunch of times and ask. Why?! Why did he foist this grisly mess on an unsuspecting audience? Just so you know what to expect, should you go, here are the details. Friends Marie (Cecile de France, the butch one) and Alex (Maiwenn, I guess shes the femmy one here), are on vacation tooling through France when we first meet them. Theyre clearly getting on each others nerves, as they zoom through the countryside listening to obscure French pop songs, but both seem excited to be going away for a weekend in the country to visit Alexs parents. Immediately, every other film where two folks travel into the wilderness by themselves come to mind, but I still liked this film at this point. Even when the two arrive an isolated house in the middle of nowhere, after we get a scene of a gross-looking man getting serviced in his van then tossing the females head out of the window before driving down the same road, I was willing to give High Tension a chance. But, by then I was getting a bit worried. My worries were borne out as the film quickly turned into the routine gorefest, with the aforementioned gross man (Phillipe Nahon in an even less likeable role than the butcher in I Stand Alone) literally cutting a swath of fear and blood through Alexs home. The father (Andrei Finti) gets it first (Why would anyone open the door late at night if they live in the middle of nowhere?), then the mother (Oana Pellea), all while poor Marie looks on, helpless to do anything. Finally, in the most horrible scene of all, little Jimmy, Alexs brother is gunned down in the same cornfield the two girls had been sure they heard something in, earlier. I was thankful that scene was not given the close-up treatment the previous two had been given, and sure by then, that High Tension was doomed to become a bad film. Ah, but I had no idea how bad this already stinker of a movie could become. Long story short, Alex is spared (we guess later, more awful things will happen to her, as the gross man takes her with him and leaves the house, having killed everyone but her), Marie manages to get in the van, but unable to free her friend, must travel along for the ride. Then theres this stupid twist that by the time it happens you just go no way, fella and at that time, I decided this film stank like something in the back of my refrigerator or that kitty box I should have changed last week. Im not even sure I could say rent this one when it comes out on video, unless you want to see a lot of gory scenes and then be very disappointed by the ending. Me, Id say pass on this evil thing.