There are things in life that I love, and there are things I hate. I hate the grating, squeaky sound of styrofoam touching styrofoam. I hate those cloying, sappy little "Precious Moments" figurines. I hate Tofu products pretending to be meat products (Tofurkey, anyone?). Add to that list my extreme distaste for films that cheat their viewers. Sure, sure...some would claim that my beloved Takashi Miike's Audition cheats the viewer by lulling them into complacency with what, at first, appears to be a fairly routine love story. That doesn't count, in my book, as Miike uses pure cinematic technique to mislead his viewers, then pulls that warm fuzzy rug out from under them with that sucker-punch of a climax. He dots his "I's" and crosses his "T's" so that, if one were so inclined, one could go back through the film and see how the logic and "rationale" make the twists and turns work and make sense, while still maintaining that sucker-punch of a climax. So, for the purposes of delineation, there are films that employ misdirection with the skill of a master magician, and then there are films that just plain cheat. Now, what does all of this hyperbole have to do with Alexandre Aja's Haute Tension? Well, I'm gonna tell you...just keep your pants on. First, let me preface the rest of this review by saying that I liked Haute Tension...I liked it a great deal. It's gorier and ballsier than many other similar films, and for that "pull no punches" approach, I give it kudos. That said, let me review the film proper. By the way, I hope to keep this review as "spoiler free" as possible, but be warned: I may (by necessity) give away a few things that you might wish you hadn't learned (if you have yet to see the film, that is). So, consider yourself warned of potential spoilers...

The synopsis...
Perky 'n' cute College gals Marie (Cécile De France) and Alex (Maïwenn Le Besco) go to the farmstead home of Alex's father (Andrei Finti), mother (Oana Pellea), and little brother for a weekend of relaxation and studying in preparation for final exams. They arrive late one night, are quickly but hospitably welcomed by Alex's family (who are established as kind, hardworking people), and ushered off to their respective rooms for a good night's sleep. No sooner do the lights in the house go out than a crazed psychopath (Phillipe Nahon) comes a-knocking. When Alex's dad answers the door, he is summarily killed in a particularly brutal and viscious way. As Alex and Marie slowly become aware of their situation, the killer slaughters Alex's remaining family members. Marie finds a hiding place in the house, and when the psycho binds and gags Alex and puts her in his beat up truck, Marie climbs in the back and goes with them, all the while trying to figure out where they're going, who this killer is (he is referred to only as "Le Tueur" or "The Killer" in the credits), and what he has in store for them. Marie manages to get out of the truck when "Le Tueur" stops at a gas station for fuel. She then steals the gas station attendant's car, after making a frantic call to the local police, and follows the killer deep into the countryside, in an apparent effort to rescue Alex. Many cat-and-mouse hijinks ensue, and finally, "Le Tueur" and Marie have their climactic, bloody showdown. If this plot sounds simplistic and somewhat ridiculous, well, it is simplistic and ridiculous. What Aja has done here has provided us with a framework on which to hang his scenes of carnage...and a few twists, 'natch.

It's the "twist" that has made Haute Tension such a dividing force amongst horror fanatics the world over. There's nothing more I can say without spoiling the "surprise", so I will give you, dear reader, the option of highlighting the following text to read more about it. Again, if you haven't seen the film and don't want the ending ruined for you, do not highlight the following text:
BEGIN SPOILERS (highlight text to read)...
The twist of the film is that "Le Tueur" is actually Marie...or more precisely, one of Marie's personalities. There are incredibly obscure hints throughout the film that suggest this, but the hints are just that...so obscure and obtuse as to be completely ludicrous. That's the "cheat" that I was talking about before. Haute Tension follows a specific route by setting up its characters, its timeline, and its perspectives, and then it turns back on all of that and throws this twist at the viewer and just expects them to swallow it. It's a jagged little pill, to be sure, and it goes far beyond just "misleading" the viewer. It outright lies to the viewer. There are scenes earlier in the film that could only take place if Marie and "Le Tueur" are two distinct physical entities. So, it's not a question of "perspective" or "point of view" (as some other reviewers have over-generously claimed)...it's a clear-cut case of the filmmaker not knowing how else to justify the proceeding moments in his film. Is it shocking? Sure. Is it gory? Sure. But, it's also a bald-faced lie...so much so that it left a distinctly bad taste in this reviewer's mouth.
END SPOILERS...
Whew. OK. For those of you whom have just read the "spoilers" by highlighting the text above, you know what the score really is in Haute Tension. For those of you who skipped that section outright, well...good for you. I want you all to come to your own conclusions about the way things end up in this film.

Now, all of that being said, and as I said in my intro, I still liked Haute Tension very much. The cheat (somehow) fails to blot out the gory, brutal, and (dare I say it) tension-filled first 4/5ths of this film. This is a film that didn't need a twist ending. It didn't need an explanation of any sort. It would have been better served to simply have things be exactly as they appeared to be. That would have made Haute Tension a truly daring, bold, and excellent extreme horror film...a modern classic, as it were. Instead, what we're left with is a funky little flick that manages to generate some real scares, and features some truly nasty FX work from favorite Giannetto De Rossi. Plus, the performances (particularly from Cécile De France) are uniformly top-notch. Phillipe Nahon just oozes slovenly creepiness as "Le Tueur"...truly the epitome of the terrifying back-country killer type. His phyiscal presence is intimidating, to say the least...easily the equal of Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface. Likewise, director Aja does a commendable job with what, let's face it, is sleazy, disturbing subject-matter (to say the least). There is minimal "glitz" and literally no "glamour" to be seen here, but the film still looks professional, slick, and generally well-made. So, with the exception of that god-awful, cheating-bitch-of-a-twist-ending, Haute Tension more than lives up to its reputation.

I realize that some people might actually like the twists in Haute Tension...and that's OK with me (like you needed my permission, or something). To each his/her own, of course. I am not going to sit here and try to psychoanalyze this film. I've delved as deeply as I think I'm likely to do, and I still end up at the opinion that Haute Tension literally brushes greatness...genius, even...before being blown out of the sky by a truly insulting ending. 'Nuff said...

OK...now let's be clear about something here. The edition that I'm reviewing here is the complete, uncut version of the film. I have done my research, and I'm confident in saying that. Something else I'm confident in saying is that the edition I'm reviewing here is, quitely likely, a bootlegged import. I feel oogy even having it in my possession, to be frank. Still, I'm glad to have seen the complete, unexpurgated version of Haute Tension before it's released stateside and hacked to bits. Anyway, for what is probably a bootleg, it's a damn-fine job. The film is presented in a beautiful anamorphic widescreen transfer, with 5.1 surround options. The dialogue for this version is English dubbed (the original French dialogue version in its uncut form is damn near impossible to get in the US), but the dubbing is actually some of the best dubbing I've ever witnessed. None of the voice actors overdo it in the slightest, and the voices seem to match the faces pretty nicely. So, no complaints there, as the dubbing is infinitely better than that in your average, say, Lucio Fulci film. The extras are a bit lacking here...make that non-existent, but hey, who's complaining? I'm just glad I've got the damned thing...

As I grit my teeth as hard as I can, I'm going to highly recommend Haute Tension, with the aforementioned caveats. Regardless of what this oft-curmudgeonly reviewer thinks about the ending, this is still a pretty damned-fine horror film. The shocks are solid, the performances and direction are taut as a drum, the music is effective and understated, and all-told, it's a brutal, horrific, and tense film that richly deserves the international controversy it has generated.