Alexandre Aja directs this remake of Wes Craven's film The Hills Have Eyes. In this update, a family is taking a cross-country road trip when their trailer breaks down, leaving them stranded in the desert of New Mexico. There, they find themselves under attack by the savage "hill people," who were deformed by radiation during nuclear testing. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi
When its makers, director Alexandre Aja and his co-writer Gregory Levasseur, apply the fresh gloss to the old grit, they remember to apply the thinnest layer possible without skimping on the roughhouse humor.
Of considerably richer interest than the revampings of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Fog, not the least for having American-heartland horrors viewed through foreign glasses
It is an artfully crafted exercise in high-octane style, bolstered by a stronger cast than most horror films could ever hope to assemble, but it's a bitter, sleazy little pill that leaves an ugly aftertaste.
The resulting bloodbath, both nasty and hilarious, is a master class in the art of the remake, wavering somewhere between respectful reimagining and gleeful pastiche.
These Hills might have eyes, but they could have used some brains, or at least a steadier hand and a less contemptible sensibility to guide the grisly proceedings.
The Hills Have Eyes involves one basic premise: freaks with very rusty weapons eviscerating, disemboweling and decapitating stupid travelers lost somewhere between Point A and B ...
Filmmakers] Aja and Levasseur have no doubt created the cannibal holocaust of their dreams. It's certainly as brutal, bloody and ambitiously disgusting as the most demanding fan might wish.
The Hills remake is without a doubt one of the better horror remakes i've seen. It's essentialy the first Hills again but with an entirely different approach. Wes Craven's original is a cult classic that was very slow but effectively atmospheric. It also passed on the gore, blood, splatter and guts. The updated film
is anything but grungy stomach churning kills that skimps on atmosphere. It's a fun movie and I enjoyed a more fast paced Hills Have Eyes. A flaw with this film is how it hands you a back story to why the disfigured killers are the way they are, and the original film didn't do that and it worked better that way. Like Wes Craven's cult film it has it's flaws but as a horror fan I enjoyed it for what it was. If your open minded and dont want food for thought and substance like the entertaining original I highly reccommend this gorefest. Alexandra Aja is a brilliant director for this film's intentions because he helped make this film as intense as it is.
April 7, 2012
Directors Cat
Super Reviewer
Wasn't worth the remake, was as terrible as the first and adds nothing new to story
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