High Tension (2003) Movie Twist Ending, Explained: One of the pioneering features of the French Extremity Movement, Alexandre Aja’s High Tension is a perfect epitome of the brutality associated with the sub-genre. Featuring unflinching violence, gruesome practical effects, and an exploitative feel, the film also established Aja as a bold and provocative auteur who would later go on to remake The Hills Have Eyes (2006). Despite its bloody legacy amongst horror fans, High Tension has been equally lampooned and critiqued for its ‘twist’ ending and its homophobic rhetoric, despite Aja rejecting the latter.
In this article, we dive into the splatter flick and examine its outrageous ending and the various clues that hint towards this final reveal. As always, here is a SPOILER ALERT for the entire film!
High Tension (2003) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis
The film begins inside a hospital ward, where we see a badly bruised woman muttering under her breath, “I won’t let anyone come between us anymore.” We then cut to our protagonists Marie (Cécil de France) and Alexia “Alex” (Maïwenn), two college friends who are driving to Alex’s rural-side family home to study for their exams. The duo arrives late at night, and Alex shows Marie her room. Just as Marie is preparing to sleep, a large man (Philippe Nahon) wearing a mechanic’s uniform intrudes inside the home— brutally killing Alex’s parents and her little brother. Marie manages to hide while the killer ties and gags Alex holding her hostage in his truck. Marie must race against time to save her friend against a demented psychopath.
Where Does The Killer Take Alex?
After abducting Alex, the killer throws her inside the back of his truck. Marie stealthily manages to make her way inside the truck and tries to console Alex, but the latter seems too traumatized. The killer stops at a gas station to fuel his vehicle, and Marie uses the opportunity to get inside the store to ask for help. Before she leaves, she hands Alex a knife for her protection.
Marie gets inside the store and requests the clerk for help. Before he can do something, the killer makes his way inside the store and begins to shop—compelling Marie to hide. The killer asks for a bottle of wine, and as the clerk goes to retrieve it, he is axed by the man. Maria hides in one of the bathroom stalls to evade the killer.
After killing the clerk, the killer leaves in the truck. Marie uses the phone to call the police, but they seem too slow and unresponsive. Realizing that she would have to help Alex on her own, Marie takes the clerk’s car and follows the killer on the highway.
How Does Marie Put An End To The Killer?
As the killer proceeds to take Alex to his lair, Marie stalks him from the car. Soon the killer realizes he is being followed and tramples the car, causing it to roll over in the forest. Marie manages to escape and hides in a greenhouse. Before she can kill him with a barbed fence that she found in the place, the killer tricks Marie and proceeds to asphyxiate her. Marie uses a stone nearby to hit him in the head before finally repeatedly stabbing him with the fence. Having put an end to the ordeal, Marie cries out in anguish and heads over to the truck to save her friend.
High Tension (2003) Movie Ending Explained:
Did The Killer Only Exist In Marie’s Mind?
As Marie goes to rescue Alex, we follow the police, finally coming over to the gas station. One of the police officers there looks at the CCTV footage and sees that it was actually Marie who axed the clerk—and not the killer.
When Marie goes to untie Alex, the latter seems terrified of Marie. Using the knife that she has, Alex proceeds to stab Marie and run into the woods. It’s revealed here that it was Marie who had killed Alex’s entire family—the killer only being a figment of her imagination, implying that Marie suffers from multiple personality disorder. The split personality of the frightening-looking killer seems to be Marie’s way of exonerating herself of her murderous deeds by projecting them onto her split personality. The film’s reason for Marie’s actions is revealed to be her infatuation with Alex, her straight best friend (more on this later).
Alex runs off into the woods, but an injured Marie (Marie is intercut with the killer several times throughout this sequence) takes a saw from the truck and chases after her. Alex manages to stop a passing car and gets inside. Before the driver can start the car and escape, Marie climbs on top and breaks through the front glass—killing him and covering Alex in a pool of blood. A brutally horrified Alex gets out of the car with a tire iron as Marie comes to kill her.
Marie asks Alex if she loves him, and Alex nods in affirmation. As Marie is kissing her, Alex takes the opportunity to pierce the tire iron through her chest. Before collapsing, Marie vows that she will never let anyone come between them—confirming that the woman we saw at the film’s beginning is actually Marie.
Sometime later, we see Marie in a psychiatric hospital room—echoing the scene in the beginning. Alex comes to see and looks at Marie through a one-way mirror. While technically Marie cannot see Alex, we see her extending her hand towards Alex, scaring the latter—implying that Marie can still sense her despite their distance.
Examining The Various Plot Holes In The Film
While High Tension ends with a twist, it leaves a load of plot holes in its way. For instance, if the killer only existed in Marie’s mind, then who was driving the car and chasing the truck? From where did Marie find the old rustic truck? One way to account for this is that the film is told from the point of an unreliable narrator (Marie), and we see the film from her perspective rather than the actual reality of what is happening. Though, this still leaves room for plenty of loopholes.
Another problematic instance of the film pointed out by critics has been the film’s supposedly homophobic rhetoric which projects Marie’s queer desire as evil and psychopathic. Throughout the film, we see Marie jealous of Alex’s relationship and even seem a bit put off when Alex goes to tug her little brother into bed. As Alex showers in her bathroom, Marie ogles at her body and later masturbates in bed, thinking of her. Since she cannot have Alex, Marie projects a monstrous and sexual male predator to abduct Alex, even if it means murdering her entire family.
But even though High Tension seems ideologically dated, its unhinged style and a committed performance from Cécile de France still hold up. Thanks to Aja’s knack as a filmmaker for sustaining suspense and thrills, the film certainly lives up to its title.
