High Tension 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

High Tension 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 13, 2025

Lionsgate Limited is revisiting two older 1080 releases with its 4K UHD offerings this month, this film and It Follows 4K (originally from Starz / Anchor Bay), both with new SteelBook packaging and newly produced supplements.

High Tension was given a 1080 release by Lionsgate way back in 2010 (and to answer a question that regularly fills my inbox when these Lionsgate Limited releases are announced, yes, the 1080 disc in this package is a "legacy" disc, down to and including the kind of quaint "checking for updates" and "Lionsgate Blu-ray" introduction that play at disc boot up). Somewhat interestingly, even in 2010 High Tension was a bit of a "catalog" release, in that it had had its theatrical exhibitions circa 2005. I had frankly completely forgotten that I had reviewed the 1080 version back then, at least until I started watching the new 4K presentation and, like a trauma victim, suppressed memories of the horrors on tap in this outing suddenly resurfaced. That may indicate in and of itself the kind of impact this undeniably disturbing film may have, even if some may have certain quibbles with structural and narrative conceits.

As mentioned above, Lionsgate released a 1080 disc in 2010, and my High Tension Blu-ray review provides plot information, a list of supplements and my reaction to the technical presentation.

High Tension 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: This is another 4K UHD release where the 1080 disc is so old that I'm kind of splitting the difference so to speak and offering screenshots from both the 1080 disc and the 4K UHD disc, with the standard proviso that the 4K UHD screenshots are downscaled to 1080 and SDR by necessity, and so color space in particular is not accurate (one reason I try to opt for 1080 disc screenshots is at least the palette is reproduced accurately). Screenshots 1 through 5 are from the old 1080 disc, and screenshots 6 through 10 are from the new 4K UHD disc.

High Tension is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films' Lionsgate Limited imprint / etailer, with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.35:1 (correcting the just slightly misframed 1080 presentation, which was/is in 2.33:1)*. While Lionsgate hasn't provided any real press information on this release, a number of online data sources indicate this was a new 4K scan off of the 35mm negative. I may be misremembering, but I think this may be the first 4K UHD disc I've reviewed with HDR10+ but without Dolby Vision. One way or the other, the film's kind of astounding palette really gets a vibrant presentation here, with an understanding that much of that "vibrancy" tends to be in misty forested locations where things look suitably soggy, but where an incredible range of green and green-blue tones is offered. The more naturally lit material, including quite a bit of sunny outdoor scenes, offer a more "normal" looking palette, with excellent flesh tones and some nice upticks in fine detail on things like facial pores and (in the more angst prone moments) sweaty brows. The film's inherent "gritty" quality, which almost suggests a 16mm source at times, is faithfully reproduced here, and grain can look fairly splotchy and yellow at times, but on the whole as someone who doesn't always like the look of grain in 4K, this struck me as nicely organic looking. There are still some passing deficits in shadow definition as things get shrouded in darkness.

*This is another case where several online databases (including our own, until I fixed it) have confused 2.35:1 with 2.39:1 original aspect ratios, one of the more frequent substitutions/errors I regularly run across. If this was sourced off of the OCN, the aspect ratio is de facto 2.35:1 not 2.39:1.

High Tension 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 4K UHD disc repeats the 1080 disc's really (disturbingly) excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track in the original French, with a still effective if slightly less spooky DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English dub also on tap. This is a relentlessly aggressive and very effective piece of sonic design, with overwhelming immersion at times, especially in the many claustrophobic scenes where Marie is attempting to elude the killer. Sound effects are both very well designed and placed very artfully around the sound field. The cat and mouse game between Marie and the killer is a textbook example of very simple, but incredibly suspenseful, sound design editing, as we hear various footsteps and other ambient sounds creeping in from various directions. Dialogue and a very effectively creepy underscore are well mixed and very clear. Special attention has also been paid to dynamic range here. We get everything from the hushed, almost incomprehensible, whispers that open the film to the more bombastic, violent moments at the height of the carnage. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

High Tension 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

For the supplements on the legacy 1080 disc, please consult my above linked review. The 4K UHD disc offers the following supplements:

• Audio Commentary with Dr. Lindsay Hallam


• An Experiment in Suspense (HD; 35:17) is a new interview with director Alexandre Aja.


• The Man in the Shadows (HD; 19:06) is a new interview with writer Gregory Levasseur.


• The Darker the Better (HD; 17:56) is a new interview with cinematographer Maxime Alexandre.


• The Great French Massacre (HD; 17:53) is a new interview with special effects artist Gianetto De Rossi. Subtitled in English.


• Only the Brave: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas on High Tension (HD; 13:27) is an interesting visual essay.


• Archive Interview with Cecile de France (HD: 22:58) is subtitled in English.


• Archive Interview with Maiwenn (HD; 5:48) is subtitled in English.


• Archive Interview with Philippe Nahon (HD; 5:28) is subtitled in English.


• High Tension: The Making of a Survival (HD; 37:53) may have a kind of "lost in translation" title, but is a good retrospective.


• Legacy Special Features

Audio Commentary with Director Alexandre Aja and Writer Gregory Levasseur




Selected Scene Commentary with Alexandre Aja and Cecile de France




Haute Horror: The Making of High Tension (HD; 23:47)




Building Tension (HD; 8:14)




Giannetto de Rossi: The Truth, the Madness and the Magic (HD; 7:42)

You might almost think that's a flying saucer on both the (lenticular) slipcover and front panel of this release's SteelBook design, but a closer examination may make this a companion piece to, say, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (and, yes, that's a joke). The back panel offers even more carnage exploding out, and just to cap things off in an appropriately gory manner, the inside panels offer a disturbing look at a memorable bloody woman in peril. The slipcover's lenticular approach means tilting it makes "Unrated" and "High Tension" disappear. A digital copy is also included.

High Tension 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Unlike some in this reviewing profession who evidently consider themselves infallible, I'll readily admit that despite a prophecy mentioned in my closing comments of my original 1080 review, I did not find High Tension to be "a big yawn after a first viewing". That said, this repeat viewing probably only made me even more aware of gaping chasms of logic that the conceit in this film requires the viewer to cross. Lionsgate Limited is offering a release with solid technical merits and some really appealing supplements in appropriately bloody SteelBook packaging (the lenticular slipcover will probably appeal to a certain demographic of collector as well). With caveats noted, Recommended.