Reptileenbu
Did you people see the same film I saw?
HottWwjdIam
There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.
Bob
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
GL84
On a road-trip through the New Mexico desert, a family stranded in the area finds that a group of inbred, cannibalistic hillbillies have targeted the group and are set on killing them for food, forcing the family into a desperate race to stop them and get away alive.This here was quite the fun if slightly flawed effort. When this one works, it's mainly due to the fact that there's quite an effective atmosphere here of being out alone in the wilderness. The film does an incredible job in the first half of depicting the desert of this one as creepy and chilling which really makes it so that being trapped on an open road in the middle of nowhere is a pretty terrifying ordeal and forces the ultimate traveling nightmare. The darkness that surrounds the family is terrifying, as anyone or anything can hide in there, and this film provides that fear in spades as tons of times we see or hear all these sights and sounds that would terrify any sane person. That gets exemplified best in the one scene of the characters run down the highway in the dark as these crazy laughs were heard echoing alongside him, a pretty terrifying ordeal, and it only gets better from there. That comes from the rather impressive event that kick-starts the film into overdrive which is the main assault on the van as the family gets into attacking the trapped members during an insanely fun ploy here, as the mounting tension plays into the initial first trap before the charge into the van and all the battles to confront them attempting to escape as well as one of the most horrendous acts ever committed to screen, and the audacity to pull it off and make it as striking as it is a huge testament to do something like that. By subjecting us to this scene, it works to keep the audience on the edge because now we don't know what else will be thrown at us and become anxious as the waiting game begins. The best part is the events that follow as the film is all action featuring plenty of solid action as the brutal encounters offer a lot of great moments. Also great is the family has a creepy air around them that makes us all become scared of them, and along with their great behavior patterns are the best parts. It doesn't have too many flaws here as the main issue is the illogical manner of getting them on the shortcut which really makes no sense and features plenty of stupid character decisions to move them along. There's also the manner of the rather sloppier effects for the gore and kills which does take away a bit of their effectiveness. Otherwise, this is quite an enjoyable effort.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, attempted rape, violence-against-animals and children-in-jeopardy.
Lechuguilla
Through the first half, more or less, it held my attention. A family turns off the main highway onto a dirt road in search of a diamond mine in them thar hills. Their car breaks down, stranding them in a lonesome desert with no way to communicate their SOS. We're in daylight, to begin with. But as day turns to night, their plight turns creepy: strange noises, not knowing what's out there. Yet someone or something is watching them. This not knowing ups the suspense factor. Unfortunately ...A certain character conveys the essence of the menace; and soon thereafter we actually see the menace. What a letdown; sheer Hollywood lack of imagination. From this point on, the plot goes downhill, so to speak, as the family does battle with the villains. There's lots of yelling, screaming, shrieking, running around, and physical contact; also lots of gore.The film's first half is not a segment one should watch right before a wilderness camping trip, as it is creepy, spooky, suspenseful. Yet the second-half plot is so stupid and so Hollywood contrived, by the time the film is over, if one has the patience to sit through it, that prospective camping trip doesn't look so fearful after all.Casting is acceptable. Acting is okay, though in a horror movie like this, acting really isn't that important. Color cinematography is pretty good. Sound quality in the copy I watched seemed substandard, with the dialogue slightly muffled."The Hills Have Eyes" will appeal to horror fans, no doubt. I'm not one of them. And so for me, despite a reasonably good first half, the second half is so banal, so trite and unimaginative, the film goes in my trash file of films I wish I had never wasted time on. Score of 3.5 out of 10.
Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki
One of the strongest assets of this film is the haunting beauty and simultaneous unearthly-ness of the neolithic looking, nearly otherworldly looking, desert landscape, which becomes a character in and of itself, in this occasionally unwatchably brutal tale of a suburban family, lost in the desert on a road trip to California from Cleveland, being set upon by an inbred hillbilly clan of killers, who have been living in the hills for decades. The hillbillies are genuinely frightening, because the filmmakers found odd and unusual looking people for the roles, using little makeup effects, aside from clothing and dirt, to distort their appearances. They're extremely violent and merciless in their attacks, yet there is also a sense of humour about them, even coming up with a few one liners ( like when Mars tells Pluto, " You got rocks in your head, ... ! " ) That adds depth to the characters, which a lot of other horror films would probably not have bothered with, which would make the killers quieter, shallow, and less memorable. It also gives much needed humour, a chance for the audience to catch their breath. Their imbecillic behaviour toward each other shows great care on the part of filmmakers and actors, to create memorable characters, rather than silent, cardboard cutout killers.Another admittedly minor point I enjoy: the odd, free time music as Bobby runs from the horrific sight in the desert, stumbling down the rocks
skybrick736
When surfing the internet, horrible opinions are often seen about Wes Craven's "The Hills Have Eyes" but it's pretty apparent that these people are diehards for Aja's remake. In my opinion, this is a fabulous horror movie that still demonstrates a high level of brutality and grittiness. There is a realness and nerving appeal to seeing a big, religious family tortured by hideous mutants. Michael Berryman and James Whitworth are frightening and realistic and really set the ruthless tone of the film Also, the setting of the open hilly desert is a great location and creates the chilling atmosphere of being completely alone. The big downside of the film is the acting from the protagonist and supporting cast of the film. With some more defined characters and better acting, Craven's Hills Have Eyes could have been his best film, which is ultra-disturbing with some really good gore scenes.
