Looks like the trimmed/dubbed version of HIGH TENSION scheduled to hit the states probably won’t be much different from the original Unrated/NC-17 version (which will no doubt sell like hotcakes when available on DVD). Director Alexandre Aja has addressed the issue himself in a comment posted over at the OFFICIAL WEBSITE.
Here are the highlights: The trims in the new version are very minor; no scenes have been removed from the film…Every filmmaker hopes that his or her work will be seen by the largest audience possible…I want to thank Lions Gate Films for making this possible.
He also mentions that Cecile de France will dub her character’s voice. My thoughts on all of this? Well, I think the dubbing is too bad, but I understand that subtitles turn off a lot of people which would restrict the audience. Unfortunate, but a legitimate concern when you’re taking a risk already.
As to the trims, it’s supposedly under a minute of footage that’s being cut. If the flick had been made in the US, that footage would have been excised in the first place. Does it kinda suck? Yeah. Is it the end of the world? No, because the NC-17 rating is soooo restrictive that it’s literally a kiss of death. The flick’s still gonna be hardcore, and if it rocks the box office then maybe we can count on the studios to bankroll some more of the legit genre stuff we love and stop forcing the sanitized, WB starring, PG-13 rated crap down our collective throats.
A big thanks to Alexandre Aja for speaking straight to the fans.