'High' lacks 'Tension'

When a film like "High Tension" comes along, an expectancy is generated. Considering that "Tension" is supposedly an homage to slasher films from the '70s and more importantly women revenge movies like "I Spit on Your Grave" and "Last House on the Left," I was excited to see a horror film that was breaking from the norm like these films did almost 30 years ago. Too bad "Tension" didn't come close to reviving this genre…\nFriends Marie (Cécile De France) and Alex (Maïwenn) are off to stay at Alex's parent's house during the school year in an attempt to get some hardcore studying done for their finals. Unfortunately, no books get cracked open, but Alex's father's head does, as an intruder invades their home, killing both parents, Alex's little brother and even the family dog while chaining Alex to the bed. Marie listens in horror as Alex is beaten and possibly raped and the only thing she feels compelled to do is find a means to rescue her best friend while killing the assailant. I could tell you more, but with a running time of only 90 minutes, there isn't much left.\nIf you're looking for another film that loads up on the gore, then by all means see "Tension," because the deaths are brutally violent. Decapitations, axes to the stomach and plenty more is all showcased here in bloody glory. Beyond the blood though, there is little else of value. The characters lack any depth and what should be a quest for revenge isn't much more than a sub-par psychological game of cat and mouse. And how can we forget the oh-so-required-nowadays super twist ending that makes the audience jump in their seats!? I didn't jump, I just yawned.\n"Tension" is also full of annoyances as well. From the opening credit sequence which would be epileptic's nightmare to an audio track which cannot decide whether to remain in poor English dubbing or subtitled French, a lot of whatever the film was going for is lost in these little things. \nI also fail to see how the stereotypical "killer" is frightening anymore. How many movies feature some giant psycho, who wears -- you guessed it -- a maintenance uniform? Except rather than wearing a mask, this guy prefers his trucker cap. It all boils down to his weapon of choice: the straight razor. This worked wonders 30 years ago when it was still original, but considering this guy is also packing a double-barrel shotgun and a circular saw (and you better believe this movie rips off "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"), any sort of intimidation factor is thrown out the window.\nFor having a budget of near $3 million, the only scary thing is the fact that it is a waste of money compared to the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," which cost roughly $150,000, and is 10 times scarier. "High Tension" would've been worthwhile had it decided to stick with the roots it tries to pay homage to. Instead it chooses to insult its audience in a complete flop of a slasher flick.