Lions Gate Gets "Tension"

The distribution company that brought "Cabin Fever" to theaters has nabbed another well-reviewed independent thriller - Alexandre Aja's "Haute Tension". Lions Gate cut the deal at the Toronto Film Festival, where both "Tension" and "Cabin Fever" were screened during "Midnight Madness".

In "Haute Tension", two young women on holiday in the country intersect with a brutal intruder. Aja cowrote (with Gregory Levasseur) and directed the film, which is his first horror/thriller. Aja's father Alexandre Arcady and Robert Benmussa served as exec producers with Luc Besson. Aja's previous screenwriting experience include the script for his director father's "Break of Dawn", a drama examining the human face of political assassins in Romania. He also wrote and directed the politically-charged "Furia", which was nominated in 2001 for an International Fantasy Film Award.

The deal helps cement Lions Gate's reputation as a distributor willing to push boundaries. "Haute Tension" adds to the list of graphic horror films they've taken on recently, including "Cabin Fever" and Rob Zombie's "House of 1000 Corpses".

The film has so far been shown in France, Canada, and South Korea. With Lions Gate's acquisition, horror fans should be able to see "Tension" in US theaters in the near future.

Source: Variety