Lions Gate Movie   ••½ Picture/Sound   •••½ Extras   ••½

The language of High Tension may be foreign, but you’ll recognize everything else in this tale of a French serial killer who terrorizes a pair of college students and a hapless family. We meet Monsieur Psychopath as he’s, um, having pleasure with a severed head — and that’s a good indication of how “wrong” this movie is. If you’re not laughing at that image, this movie probably isn’t for you. The 2.35:1 widescreen picture has just enough grain to give it the look of a 1980s slasher flick while still having decent detail. And the aggressive 5.1-channel mix emphasizes the complicated sound design. Extras include a commentary by the director and the co-writer and several making-of featurettes. [NC-17] French (with English subtitles) and English, Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Surround; letterboxed (2.35:1) and anamorphic widescreen; dual layer.

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