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Haute tension (2003)

High Tension (French: Haute Tension, French pronunciation: ​[ot tɑ̃sjɔ̃]; released in the United Kingdom as Switchblade Romance) is a 2003 French slasher film directed by Alexandre Aja, co-written with Grégory Levasseur, and starring Cécile de France, Maïwenn, and Philippe Nahon. Its plot follows two female students who arrive at a secluded farmhouse to study, where they are shortly invaded by a serial killer.

Associated with the New French Extremity movement, High Tension was picked up by Lions Gate Entertainment following a successful screening at the Midnight Madness section of the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was re-dubbed in English and re-edited to secure an R rating. Lions Gate then spent $14 million to open the film in wide release in the United States, where it eventually only grossed $3.6 million; Lions Gate later released the original cut on Blu-ray and DVD.

All of the effects were created by Italian horror make-up artist Giannetto De Rossi, a favorite of late director Lucio Fulci.