High Tension (French: Haute Tension, French pronunciation: [ot tɑ̃sjɔ̃]; released in the United Kingdom as Switchblade Romance) is a 2003 French horror film directed by Alexandre Aja, stars Cécile de France, Maïwenn, and Philippe Nahon.
High Tension was picked up by independent distributor Lions Gate Entertainment following a successful screening at the Midnight Madness section of the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival. Originally rated NC-17 in the U.S. for strong graphic violence, a few graphic shots were cut from the final version of the U.S. release in order to secure an R rating (the original NC-17 cut was released in some theaters), and the film was dubbed for commercial appeal. However, the original cut (referred to as an unrated version) is available on Blu-ray and DVD.
All of the effects are created by renowned horror make-up artist Giannetto De Rossi, a favorite of late director Lucio Fulci.
High Tension has been associated with the New French Extremity movement.
