Take Back the Knife is a monthly column about women in horror by genre writer/director Stacie Ponder.
If you’ve been paying attention to horror cinema over the last decade or so, then you know that French filmmakers are totally bringing it right now. By “it,” I mean the gore, the hardcore, and … well, just more. Watching a modern French horror movie is a bit like getting punched in the face by a hammer-wielding chainsaw (let’s pretend that makes sense) – it’s a visceral, unforgettable experience that may well leave you hating yourself and/or the world when it’s all over. That’s not to say it’s all mindless madness – there’s sometimes a message lurking in there, heavy themes about life and death and sex and everything in between.
Though certainly not for the faint of heart, French horror films often cause controversy amongst even the most hardened genre fans; the most controversial in recent history, perhaps, is Alexandre Aja’s 2003 film High Tension (aka Haute Tension). When the film was recently mentioned at my site Final Girl, some readers responded say they’ve still got a bone or two to pick with it; even though AfterEllen.com has reviewed High Tension in the past, I think the ongoing fervor both for and against it makes it worth discussing again. Now, to talk about that controversy means to … well, to talk about everything and give away and secrets the movie may hold, so if you’re worried about spoilers, the you should probably go help an old lady cross the street or something while we talk about High Tension.
Here’s a refreshing and brief rundown of the basic plot:
Alex (Maiwenn) and Marie (Cecile de France) are college friends who drive to Alex’s family’s house in the French countryside for a weekend of relaxation and study. The night they arrive, a mysterious man in mysterious overalls (Philippe Nahon) arrives in a mysterious truck and systematically slaughters Alex’s family. Marie, however, manages to stay hidden during the carnage. When the mysterious man hogties Alex and drives away with her in the back of his mysterious truck, Marie pursues, determined to rescue her friend. Eventually Marie and the mysterious man go mano à mano … and then in a sucker punch, a twist reveals that there is no mysterious man. Marie herself is the kidnapper and executioner. Viewers largely feel cheated, let down, and angry by this seemingly superfluous ‘twist’ ending. After all, for the 80 minutes prior to the reveal, we’re firmly rooting for Marie as she battles this horrible man who appears out of nowhere and without a word kidnaps her best friend and viciously murders her best friend’s family. Not only is it a punch to the gut in terms of the plot, however; at times the twist strains all logistical probability – for example, how can Marie be driving a truck and the car pursuing the truck? High Tension requires some serious suspension of disbelief, but personally, I can totally get on board with it. There’s another reason why some viewers react negatively to the big reveal, though, and that’s because in the end, the film leaves you with a faint taste of homophobia in your mouth and friends, that simply doesn’t taste good.
If you’re wondering why people might slap the H label on the film, I’ll break it down for you:
High Tension opens with a lengthy sequence in the car while Marie and Alex are driving to the family home. During this time, Marie teases Alex about her cavorting with boys. She berates Alex’s decisions, calling her a slut, an idiot, a fool. It’s obvious that the name-calling goes beyond playful banter; Marie isn’t smiling, and her taunts are bordering on cruel. What gives? Is Marie interested in the men Alex is chasing? It’s clear that’s not the case – rather, Marie is interested in Alex. Marie is in love with her friend, a friend that doesn’t share her sexual orientation – how frustrating for Marie. At this point, writer/director Aja introduces the audience to the mysterious man in his truck, using a woman’s severed head to fellate himself.
Later that night, after there have been introductions and the family has gone to bed, Marie goes outside for a smoke. Glancing up, she can see Alex in the bathroom, taking a shower. Aroused, Marie goes back inside, heads upstairs to the guest room, and masturbates – giving herself over to her physical desire for her friend. Marie has crossed a line and admitted her feelings, if only to herself.
At this moment, the mysterious man arrives at the house and almost immediately decapitates Alex’s father. He cuts Alex’s mother’s throat, then dispatches her little brother before absconding with Alex herself as a trophy. One interpretation, then, is that Marie has destroyed what she feels she can never share with the object of her affection: a family. Killer lesbian/homosexuality destroying the family: it’s the very notion that homophobes fear the most. Continuing with that line of thought, it would appear that Marie is also, most likely, a self-loathing lesbian. She sees her homosexual side – her “deviant” side (please, notice the quotes there and save the hate mail) – as repulsive. She sees herself as a vile, disgusting man, giving in to the basest desires in the most psychotic way possible (see: fellatio by severed head), and she spends the rest of the film quite literally battling her urges. Is Aja bluntly equating homosexuality with baseness, with psychosis and homicidal tendencies? I honestly don’t think so. Believe it or not, not every gay person bursts out of the closet the first time he or she feels desire for a member of the same sex. People live in denial, people live in hiding. People can be confused, and while falling in love with your best friend doesn’t necessarily lead to homicidal tendencies, there are gay people who, sadly, hate themselves for being gay.
In real life, one hopes that people find counseling, find friends, find a path to self-acceptance … and in a sense, Marie does find some sort of acceptance for herself at the film’s end. Her “female” subconscious has defeated her “male” subconscious, and this means that Marie and Alex can finally be together. Marie no longer hides her feelings; she’s ready to spend her life with Alex, and “no one will keep them apart” any more. In a sense, however, this true ending – which finds Marie vanquishing the horrible man and admitting her love for Alex – is undeniably pro-gay: the lesbian is the hero of the story. On High Tension’s most basic level, we’re rooting for Marie the entire time as she displays remarkable bravery and resilience in her quest to save her friend. Thematically, she’s still the hero of the story even at the end: once Marie basically came out of the closet and admitted everything, the man was gone; it was the lying, the hiding and repression of her true nature and her true feelings that brought about all the violence and destruction. Simply put, coming out freed her from her mental anguish. That ain’t homophobia.
Mind you, Marie is also completely insane and this is simply entertainment, a gory, graphic horror film – okay, one featuring another crazy killer lesbian, sure. The best horror films, however, have some meat on their bones, so to speak, and give you plenty to chew on once the credits roll. If you can stomach it, High Tension is rife with thought-provoking symbolism and fodder for discussion … and blood-drenched women wielding power saws. Everyone I know would consider that a win-win!
In addition to writing and directing horror films, Stacie Ponder writes about them for Rue Morgue Magazine, AMC TV.com, and her own beloved site, Final Girl. In her spare time, Stacie enjoys a good laugh and looking at kittens.
