The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with a French twist! Marie accompanies her nubile friend Alex, and her family, to their country house for the holidays but trouble is in the air. In a terrifying and seemingly motiveless explosion of mayhem, Alex's entire family is murdered and she finds herself hog-tied in the back of the killer's van. Marie witnesses the carnage from inside a closet (in a fantastic nod to Halloween) while the mystery knife-wielder checks the family photo to ensure that everybody has been 'accounted for'.

Light-years beyond standard multiplex gore-fests, this disturbing chiller is a nerve-wracking flight of paranoid fancy. The original title translates as 'high tension', which perfectly sums up the atmosphere of dread that permeates every frame. For trivia buffs, it's a circular saw rather than a chainsaw that will be powered up during the film.

'Drawing understandable comparisons to some of Dario Argento's best work. There's a voyeuristic quality to director Aja's hip, ever-gliding camera that calls ghoulish attention to a cornered character's psychological sightlessness. Horror for the Irreversible generation.' -slant

Please note: contains scenes that may offend some viewers

D Alexandre Aja P Alexandre Arcady, Luc Besson S Alexandre Aja, Gregory Levasseur WS Europacorp L French w/English subtitles TD 35mm/Col/2003/85mins

Alexandre Aja was born in Paris, France in 1978. Films include: Over the Rainbow (1997 short), Furia (2000), Break of Dawn (2002).