High Tension: Disappointed

[PR3SSUR3]

I'm not sure if the twist in Haute Tension needed any great significance or emotional depth - though having said that, the shock was that the supposed hero of a stylish gorefest/suspense movie was in fact an utterly demented psychopath. The shock factor is made all the more jarring in that an attractive young woman has imagined herself as a filthy, brutal middle-aged man in order to justify her killings.

The audience might not have wanted this be so, such was their anticipation of the usual 'payoff' ending nicely wrapped up, but this is what they got. Very confrontational and subversive of the writers/director, and very commendable for their bravery (I bet this one split their investors like Marie's personality).

The film's comparison to a book is not really relevant.

[Vodstok]

Originally Posted by Shady

This reminded me of Identity.

Glad to see i wasnt the only one who thought the end ruined this movie... If they had cut it off 5 minutes earlier, it would have been perfect.

[Burning in Hell]

I really liked High Tension, and was not put off by the ending at all, but my girlfriend was really pissed off about it!! I guess this is a very good example of a "love it or hate it" movie

[gorbyak]

I sat watching this movie, thinking hey, this movie is awesome. When the ending started, I almost stood up and left the theater in my blind rage. Twists like that are so damn cliche. It was like Shamalyan(bad spelling), who's movies I also hate.

Oh well, if they made an alternate ending, that didnt twist, I would be a lot happier.

[Shady]

Don't get me wrong, I loved the movie. It was an outstanding movie but I think the ending ruined it. Not to mention the fact that it was kind of predictable. When the cops first went in the store and looked at camera and knew right away it was gonna be the chick hitting him with the axe. Than when I actually saw it I was pissed. High Tension's twist didnt surprise me at all although Identity really did. I was not expecting that at all. Although I dint like the ending to Identity the twist was good and unexpectable. Identity was an outstanding movie and much better than High Tension in my opinion.

[Despare]

Originally Posted by PR3SSUR3

The film's comparison to a book is not really relevant.

Other than the beginning of the movie rips off the beginning of the book almost scene by scene? They both started out almost exactly the same only Intensity made a real story out of it and was done very well while High Tension ended up being a decent movie with a sub par ending. In fact, Koontz probably could have sued but...

"Many readers have been writing to inform Dean that a recent movie, which we aren't going to promote by naming it, ripped off the first half of INTENSITY. Initially, the director of this bloody inept film denied having read the book, but later acknowledged that part of it might have been "inspired" by INTENSITY. In the past, Dean has been aggressive about plagiarism and has succeeded in ever action he has taken against every plagiarist. In this case, a win appeared inevitable, but he decided to ignore the offense because he found the film so puerile, so disgustiing, and so intellectually bankrupt that he didn't want the association with it that would inevitably come if he pursued an action against the filmmaker. Maybe the lesson is that if you're going to steal from Dean's work, you better make your version as disgusting and misanthropic, as full of loathing for humanity, as you can; then you might get away with it!"

[Vodstok]

Originally Posted by Despare

Other than the beginning of the movie rips off the beginning of the book almost scene by scene? They both started out almost exactly the same only Intensity made a real story out of it and was done very well while High Tension ended up being a decent movie with a sub par ending. In fact, Koontz probably could have sued but...

"Many readers have been writing to inform Dean that a recent movie, which we aren't going to promote by naming it, ripped off the first half of INTENSITY. Initially, the director of this bloody inept film denied having read the book, but later acknowledged that part of it might have been "inspired" by INTENSITY. In the past, Dean has been aggressive about plagiarism and has succeeded in ever action he has taken against every plagiarist. In this case, a win appeared inevitable, but he decided to ignore the offense because he found the film so puerile, so disgustiing, and so intellectually bankrupt that he didn't want the association with it that would inevitably come if he pursued an action against the filmmaker. Maybe the lesson is that if you're going to steal from Dean's work, you better make your version as disgusting and misanthropic, as full of loathing for humanity, as you can; then you might get away with it!"

Ironic, since every movie made off of a Koontz novel has sucked...

[urgeok]

i honestly never thought any Deen Koontz book was anywhere near as good as Haute Tension the movie ..

i find him to be an extremely pedestrian writer...

i know he has done some very early sci-fi work that i havent read yet - i definately get the impression that his strength may lie in that direction... but i cant get 5 pages into his horror fiction without being bored out of my mind with the usual tired cliche characters.


not that that has much of anything to do with the thread .. just sayin...

[Despare]

Originally Posted by Vodstok

Ironic, since every movie made off of a Koontz novel has sucked...

Aja should have just made Intesity, better ending and it would have been the best Koontz book to movie ever. Although I personally dug Phantoms. As far as Koontz writing goes I think he's pretty good but he seems to fall back the same old tricks far too often. I don't see how you could develop a character synopsis after five pages though heh. Try Intesity, it's fun, but maybe it's too mainstream and not elitist enough for some ;).

[urgeok]

Originally Posted by Despare

Aja should have just made Intesity, better ending and it would have been the best Koontz book to movie ever. Although I personally dug Phantoms. As far as Koontz writing goes I think he's pretty good but he seems to fall back the same old tricks far too often. I don't see how you could develop a character synopsis after five pages though heh. Try Intesity, it's fun, but maybe it's too mainstream and not elitist enough for some ;).

hey, its the stuff i read a lot of when i was younger .. and it went a long way to explain why i really dont like horror fiction .. so much of it is bad ..


john saul, stephen king, god - the lot of the old stand-bys - i dont like them ..

there was one book .. it started with cops (dragon tears ? i dunno there's so many of them) and within 5 pages i was turned off of the characters ...
its the prose - style ... i just find it so ...static .. for lack of a better word (I'M not the writer :p )

i'm not an elitist - but i'm damn fussy - no doubt about that..