Switchblade Romance film review

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SWITCHBLADE ROMANCE

That rarest of cinematic beasts - a French slasher movie - arrives on our shores with a title that is somewhat lost in translation. Haute Tension (literally, High Tension) comes with all the hallmarks of a director and writer who have watched every film by Tobe Hooper and Sam Raimi and subsequently set about creating their own version of the blood and gore storyline. And while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, there's an erotically charged atmosphere to Switchblade Romance which lifts it above the ordinary.

Marie (Cecile de France, recently seen opposite Steve Coogan in Around The World in 80 Days) and Alex (Maiwenn) are two young female French students who journey out to the countryside for a weekend's studying. Alex's parents' country house is perfect for their purposes - remote, welcoming and the idyllic setting to concentrate upon upcoming university exams. The pair spend the evening settling in before turning in for the night to go to sleep, or in Marie's case, some frenetic masturbation.

Their reverie is short-lived, however, as a truck soon pulls up outside the house with a sadistic looking driver at the wheel. Le Tueur (the killer) comes straight out of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre: a podgy, middle-aged and seemingly unstoppable killing machine that goes about dismembering Alex's family as bloodily as possible. Fans of gore and guts will be in seventh heaven: those who are squeamish will feel decidedly unwell.

Disturbed by the very obvious racket downstairs, Marie sets about trying to save herself and Alex from imminent decapitation. Failing to stop the killer inside the house, the pair embark on a dramatic escape attempt in their car, only to be chased by the fleetingly glimpsed murderer.

Director Alexandre Aja handles his material well and creates a beautifully-lit mood of increasing tension. However, the film is stymied by several lapses in plot and for a great majority of its running time seems an all-too-familiar by-the-book slasher. However, there is a twist, and it's one which will either infuriate or amaze. It's likely to have a profound effect on those just old enough to see it, and augurs well for Aja's next project, a proposed remake of Wes Craven's horror classic The Hills Have Eyes.

Paul Hurley