High Tension 2005

As Marie and her best friend Alex arrive at their destination, a sprawling suburban home owned by Alex’s parents, they settle in for a weekend of studying and relaxation. Alex takes Marie on a tour of the house, showcasing its various nooks and crannies, before they sit down to a warm dinner with Alex’s family. As night begins to fall, Marie retreats to her room, where she finds solace in the soothing melodies of her favorite music and a quiet intimacy that only solitude can provide. Meanwhile, Alex drifts off to sleep, oblivious to the horrors that are about to unfold.

In the midst of this tranquil atmosphere, a doorbell rings, shattering the peace. Daniel, Alex’s father, stirs from his slumber to answer the door, unaware of the terror that awaits him. As he opens the door, a sinister figure emerges, wielding a straight razor that will forever change the course of their lives. The sound of flesh meeting steel is followed by an eerie silence, and it is in this moment of frozen horror that Alex’s mother stirs from her own slumber, only to be confronted by the very same figure who has just claimed her husband’s life.

Marie, awakened by the screams and chaos, springs into action. She quickly transforms the guest room into a vacant space, hiding beneath her bed as the killer inspects the premises. As the minutes tick by, Marie seizes the opportunity to creep downstairs, where she is met with an unspeakable sight: Alex, chained in her bedroom, awaiting a fate worse than death.

With a promise to find help, Marie dares to venture further into the heart of darkness, seeking solace in the parents’ room and praying for a phone to guide her next move. As she hides in the closet, the sounds of violence and despair echo through the walls, growing louder with each passing moment. It is then that Marie bears witness to the gruesome slaughter of Alex’s mother, her throat brutally slashed by the same razor that had claimed her father’s life.

As Tom, Alex’s younger brother, flees for his life into the adjacent cornfield, pursued by their tormentor, Marie is left to confront the harsh reality of their situation. With Alex’s life hanging in the balance, she vows to free him from his prison, but the sound of footsteps growing louder tells her that time is running out. In desperation, Marie sneaks into the kitchen, where she arms herself with a butcher knife and prepares for a fight to the death.

As the killer returns, dragging Alex away, Marie seizes her chance to strike back. She infiltrates their truck, hiding beneath the bed with Alex as the driver takes them on a journey from which there may be no return.

As the killer’s truck idles at a desolate gas station, Marie seizes an opportunity to passively hand Alex the knife, while slipping into the shop to solicit assistance from Jimmy, the hapless store clerk. However, fate has other plans as the killer enters the shop, and Marie is forced to hide and bear witness to Jimmy’s brutal axe-murdered corpse. Her desperation to escape the situation prompts her to phone the authorities, only to become frustrated by her inability to convey her location. Undeterred, she pilfers Jimmy’s keys and commandeers his vehicle to track down the killer, eventually following him down a deserted road. As Marie’s persistence is met with violence, her car is deliberately pushed off the road, leaving her injured and stranded. With no other option than to flee on foot, Marie seeks refuge in the surrounding forest as the killer relentlessly pursues her.

In a moment of primal fury, Marie exacts revenge by bludgeoning the killer with a barbed-wire-tipped fence post. As she inspects the lifeless body, the killer’s corpse suddenly seizes her throat, prompting Marie to suffocate him using a plastic sheet. Her actions are later revealed through an in-store videotape, showcasing Marie as the perpetrator of the gas station murders. This grim discovery is tempered by the realization that Marie is, in fact, delusional and harbors a twisted romantic fascination with Alex - the unwitting victim of her family’s actual murderer.

At the truck, Marie releases Alex from his restraints, only to be met with hostility as Alex accuses her of butchering their family. In response, Alex unleashes a violent attack on Marie, slashing her face and stabbing her stomach before fleeing into the forest. Undeterred, Marie chases after Alex with a concrete saw, determined to exact revenge.

As Alex seeks refuge by flagging down a passing car, Marie appears once more, this time wielding the concrete saw. In a gruesome act of brutality, she disembowels the driver. A stray piece of shattered glass subsequently slices Alex’s Achilles tendon, leaving them crippled and helpless. Alex manages to crawl along the road, eventually claiming a crowbar from the car’s toolbox. As Marie attempts to reassert control, Alex seizes the opportunity to plunge the crowbar into her upper chest, proclaiming that she will never allow anyone - including Marie - to come between them.

In a haunting epilogue, we find Marie confined to a psychiatric hospital room, her gaze fixed on Alex watching her through a one-way mirror. Her maniacal grin and outstretched hand betray an unsettling awareness of the true extent of her obsession, as well as her ultimate defeat at the hands of her own unrelenting passion.