High Tension

Two close friends, Marie and Alexia, decide to spend a quiet weekend at a secluded farmhouse owned by Alexia's family. They plan meals, quiet talks, and a chance to recharge away from city life. What starts as a chance to unplug soon spirals into a vicious ordeal as a brutal intruder breaks in, turning the house into a maze of fear and uncertainty. The women must rely on wits and nerve as a sudden crisis tests their bond and resilience. With claustrophobic corridors, flickering lights, and jarring sound design that seems to close in from every angle, the night becomes a relentless fight to survive. The film keeps you unbalanced by shifting perspectives and pace, never letting safety feel real.

Directed by Alexandre Aja from a screenplay by Grégory Levasseur, High Tension premiered in 2003 as a lean French horror thriller that helped establish Aja's international profile. The film blends suspense with a stark restrained style that rewards repeat viewings.

The film grossed about $6.29 million worldwide on a $2.5 million budget, making it a solid return for a genre picture and contributing to the early 2000s revival of stylish French horror. Its strong box office helped signal genre maturity.

Its brisk pace and brutal intensity helped push a more uncompromising strain of horror into the mainstream and influenced later thrillers that pair domestic settings with extreme peril. The film provoked debate about violence in genre cinema and the boundaries of audience tolerance. Critics praised its lean craft and pace.

Critics applauded the film for its taut suspense, sharp pacing, and strong performances, even as some noted its shocking twists can feel provocative. Themes center on fear, perception, and the collapse of safety when a familiar space becomes a lethal trap. Its themes linger for viewers long after the credits.