Review of Switchblade Romance

Introduction

Switchblade Romance is a French horror film, aka Haute Tension (High Tension). Knowing that before you watch it will actually heighten the tension. You`re actively expecting something to happen in the dark while the actors are out in the middle of nowhere. When nothing happens, it`s relieving, but that respite is only temporary and you`re paid back in spades. Switchblade Romance is a good looking survival horror film of the old school.

Video

Presented with a 2.35:1 widescreen enhanced video transfer, Switchblade Romance has a stylised quality to it making the film appropriately dark and sinister; having been made mostly at night also helps. The quality of the transfer looks very good with little in the way of dirt or other transfer problems. There is noticeable grain showing as we go outdoors in the night but it doesn`t spoil the film at all.

Audio

It comes with both a Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 soundtrack with the sound and music being very effective in 5.1. The music echoes and reinforces the mood of the film and heightens the onscreen drama and action. This is the original French soundtrack and not the English one present on the disc from other regions. As little dialogue as there is in the film, it comes clearly from the centre with a nice spread of sound from the front. There is some ambient rear sound too.

Features

Easy to navigate animated menus with a few extras:

• Special Effects make up with Gianetto De Rossi (subtitled) (7:17) - De Rossi talks about his passion for his work as a make up artist and why he agreed to work on this film. Having seen this film a few times, I`m always surprised by the high quality of this man`s work.

• Audio Commentary - This commentary features Writer/Director Alexandre Aja and Cecille De France being interviewed by Jamie Graham (from Total Film magazine). He keeps the pair firmly on track throughout the film to talk about the film and little else. It`s an entertaining and interesting track to listen to.

• Making Of (subtitled) (36:18) - This is with writers Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur and is a good interview. It contains a mix of behind the scenes footage as well as brief moments from other cast members. This is worth watching as it`s not a silly little PR gimmick.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:46), English Dub Trailer (1:43) - The only difference between them is the English dub of the English trailer. As trailers go, it gives you the feeling that something extreme is going on without giving too much away.

• Other Releases - Trailers for other Optimum releases, such as Shaolin Soccer.

Switchblade Romance features permanently burned in English subtitles, which is a shame as it can be distracting.

Conclusion

I had absolutely no idea what this film was when I started to watch it. I stayed away from threads with the film title because it didn`t sound particularly interesting and I thought it was yet another far eastern horror film, but I couldn`t be more wrong with the film`s origins. It`s French. It`s a French survival horror film that doesn`t hold back on the blood, contains a family massacre and actually scares. Much can be said of the film`s pace, which is spot on as once it gets a grip, it doesn`t let go until the end and, if you`re anything like me, will keep you grinning and covering your eyes/mouth in equal measure. There isn`t a great deal of dialogue as there are few characters, but this doesn`t matter as the proof of the film is visual. This is great!

The reveal at the end could have been like so many before it, a disappointment, but it wasn`t and it adds up to a film that is quite simply a pleasure to watch. Video and sound quality are fine, and the extras are good too with an interesting audio commentary as well as Making Of. If you enjoy horror then this film has to be seen as it harks back to the old school of horror film from the 70s and early 80s. Recommended.