Shocktober Day #23 Comes With Many Bloody Names!
I love this film – I love sharing it on this day #23 of Shocktober – it’s a perfect bloody thriller for Halloween – and I love that it has THREE different titles! Check out these three posters for one single film:
Haute Tension / High Tension / Switchblade Romance!
Yes, it’s a great film with a split personality, thanks to multiple title changes for the US market!
The very bloody red poster for the rest of the world was changed for the US, and the title was changed as well…but no matter what you call it, this is one scary thriller! Check out the trailer!
The bloody horror film was originally rated NC-17 in the U.S. for strong graphic violence, but a few graphic shots were cut from the final version of the U.S. release to get it down to the R rating. However, the original cut (referred to as an unrated version) is available on Blu-ray and DVD – and you want to see this one uncut!
Of course, this French language film doesn’t begin so bloody…it all starts out so nice…Alexia travels with her friend Marie to spend a couple of days with her family in their farm in the country. They arrive late and they are welcomed by Alexia’s father.
Late in the night, a sadistic and sick killer breaks into the farmhouse, slaughters Alexia’s family–including their dog–and kidnaps Alexia. Marie hides from the criminal and tries to help the hysterical and frightened Alexia, chase the maniac, and disclose his identity in the end.
That’s right, Marie trails the killer and his conquest, trying to find the best time to save her best friend from the maniac…
That’s all you need to know…this is a bloody, twisted thriller that has a lot of great scares and unrelenting suspense!
[repeated line]
Marie: I won’t let anyone come between us any more.
Director Alexandre Aja and screenwriter Grégory Levasseur are childhood friends and made this film as a homage to the old-school horror films of the 70’s and 80’s that the two would watch together growing up.
Here is some great bloody trivia:
The camera used during the car-attack scene got so much fake blood on it during shooting that when it was being used on another film later on fake blood oozed from it during the focusing of a shot. How can you miss a movie that has THAT going for it!
Whatever you call this movie, make sure to celebrate “Shocktober” by watching it!
I also recently took a bloody good ride on the “Terror Train”:
This early 80’s classic stars scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis – check out the trailer here:
Here’s a different kind of scream queen – a naked one with a tail!
This dark norwegian horror film is a gem – see the trailer here:
Also, a big contest this Halloween season – want to spend Halloween night in Dracula’s castle?
Fill up these caskets, thanks to a great AirBNB contest to stay overnight in Vlad the Impaler’s castle! Read all about it here:
If you missed any of the first ten days of Shocktober, then see the list here:
Enjoy your Halloween!
