Haute Tension- outstanding new horror gem! (1 Viewer)

[James_Kiang]

OK, did some checking.

I realized the Ross was saying that Scarecrow Video actually sold the dvd. I checked their site and sure enough they do - R0, English sub, NTSC, 24.95.

I went ahead and checked EBay as well. They have plenty of the English dub, but I'm not seeing very many of this English sub. Makes me wonder a little if what Scarecrow and these Ebay sellers have is a boot (and that's not a knock on Ross or anyone, just pointing out a concern).

I also saw on Ebay that there is an 85 minute version (seems to be the one with subs) and an 87 minute version. At this point, I'm tempted to go ahead and check out the 85 min subtitled version, unless it's confirmed as a boot. Anyone have any feedback on this? Thanks.

 

[Matt Stone]

I could be wrong, but I think the version I saw was 91 minutes (with the credits). It had both Thai and English subs and dubs, but no original French audio. The dub track was pretty crummy, but dialog doesn't really drive the film, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

I'm still thinking about it. I can justify some of the twist, but it still doesn't fully work for me. On the other hand, the other aspects of the film were so damn good

 

[Rich Malloy]

Well, apparently there is a Korean DVD with the original track and English subs.... but it's cut. Xploited offers it (and two other versions): http://xploitedcinema.com/search.asp...BMIT=Send+Data

I speak minimal French (barely enough to order off a menu), but I'm tempted to go for the French DVD... just how little dialog is there?

 

[James_Kiang]

Any listing of what has been cut? If it's just 2 minutes I might not mind, but if the uncut run time is 91 minutes then I may be tempted to go French as well (xploited didn't list the runtime).

 

[Scott Weinberg]

A half-assed transcript of an IM conversation between Matt and I as he sat down to watch High Tension:

Matt (about 10 minutes in the movie): Cooool!

Me: Heh. Yep. More to come.

Matt (20 min. in): Woaaaah. Sick!

Me: Haha!

Matt: (55 min. in): Dude this is some fucked up shit.

Me: Yeah, fun stuff.

Matt: (75 min. in): Solid chase scene. Creepy too!

Me: ......

Matt: (82 min. in): WTF?!?!?!?!?!!! Whaaaaaat???

Me:

 

[Matt Stone]

Hahaha

That's scary accurate.

 

[James_Kiang]

GAH!!!! I think I am going to break down and order the 85 minute subbed version....

 

[Darren_Reed]

Just wanted to clarify...the Thai dvd is the ONLY version that has English (even though it's the dub) AND is UNCUT. As of right now, there isn't an uncut version that also has english subtitles.

From what I've heard, the cuts are in all the gore scenes, probably cutting away quickly instead of lingering on them like the original version loves to do I haven't seen the cut version though, and don't plan on it. I first saw the flick at the Atlanta Film Festival, and loved it (except for the twist), and can't wait to see what this director does next.. he is obviously VERY talented in this genre..

FWIW, the dub on the Thai dvd isn't awful, and this isn't exactly a dialog-heavy film to begin with, so for $7.50 SHIPPED I easily recommend the Thai dvd. It got here in about 3 days also!

 

[Matt Stone]

Definitely. Seeing it uncut is well worth it.

 

[James_Kiang]

Looks like I made the wrong choice - I ordered the cut version :frowning:.

Still can't wait to see it though.

 

[Matt Stone]

BTW, I wanted to mention that I loved the use of the Muse song New Born during the car chase and at the very end during the credits. Terrific song that really works in a horror movie. Takes on a whole different feeling for me now...I've been looping since I saw the movie.

 

[Shoaib Lateef]

where can i pick up the thai version? is it region 0?

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Is there an uncut version in Reg0 NTSC French (without subs)? It seems the uncut versions are either dub only or PAL...

DVD asian lists the "cut" english subbed Korean version at 86 minutes, and the "uncut" English/Thai dub only version as 87 minutes. IMDB lists 91 minutes as the running time...

Now that this has evolved into a DVD discussion- i'm gonna move it to software.

-V

 

[Matthew Chmiel]

Vince, at the moment, no uncut (and legal) NTSC edition exists.

Last time I checked, Lions Gate has this film set-up for an early Spring 2005 release (either in February or April). If you can wait for Summer 2005 for an uncut NTSC DVD release....

 

[Matt Stone]

I think it's February. The version I got is R0 PAL. Unplayable on my NTSC player, but had no problems on my computer.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

So is the NTSC version with only English/Thai dub not uncut, or not legal? All listings I've seen show it as NTSC and UNcut--- but I don't know if either of these things is true.

-V

 

[Laurence Price]

I inquired already about the French Haute tension DVD and sent an Email to xploited because hearing about it caught my interest.

Their response:
"the uncut french language version does not have english subtitles.

it runs 87mins. it's a PAL dvd so it is spedup by approx. 4% due to the PAL
conversion so the actual film source time is approx. 90mins 45 secs."

 

[James_Kiang]

My copy of the edited R0 with subtitles arrived yesterday. I was able to get a viewing in last night.

Before getting into the film itself, I'll say the dvd quality was acceptable if not great. A number of the scenes appeared somewhat grainy, but that may have been how the movie originally looked. I had to listen with the audio down (no way I would want my 4 year old to wake up and see this ) so I don't have much to say about that. The subtitles had a couple of grammar/word errors; I don't speak French so I can't comment on the accuracy of the translation.

Now, to the movie. I liked it, though it wasn't great. I will recommend that if you are interested in checking this one out, get the uncut version. There were a couple of scenes that clearly had more to show and it would have appealed to the gorhound in me to see them,

The decapitation scene cuts just before impact, I imagine more was shown of the mother getting slashed, and there probably was more to the saw scene towards the end.
All of that is based on assumption, since I haven't seen the uncut version.

I felt the movie did do a good job of creating suspense (or would the better word be tension? ) as Marie tries to escape the killer.

As for the twist - I wish I hadn't spoiled that. I might have seen it coming, but I guess I'll never know for sure. I don't have any huge issues with it as the explanations given do seem to satisfy my questions with the rationality of the twist. I do have one issue:

If a lot of what we're seen is just a figment of Marie's imagination, how do we explain the injuries she has that resulted from the car crash? The only wound she should have really sustained was the puncture wound from Alex, but in the bookend hospital scenes it is clear that she has more injuries than that. I'll have to go back to when the cops arrive at the gas station and see if the attendant's car is shown there.

Overall, I can recommend the movie. It should appeal to those who enjoy suspenseful thrillers, but it also has the goods to satisfy those looking for some gore. I may see the US release in theaters (not sure, maybe if I can bring someone who hasn't seen it yet) and I'll probably be tempted to pick up a domestic dvd release if it is uncut.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

I want to pick it up for a friend who speaks french. Let me know if anyone ever sees a NTSC version that is uncut, even if it features no subtitles.

I might look into the PAL version if it looks llike no NTSC uncut is on the horizon.

 

[Matt Stone]