October 17, 2010 - The Hills Have Eyes

Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes is rightly revered as a classic. It was only his second film, and leaps and bound ahead of his debut The Last House on the Left. Taking the same basic concept of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre from a few years previous, and upping and ante by making the victims a close knot family, Craven delivered a harrowing, brutal movie that stands the test of time.

I hadn't seen this movie in over 10 years, and when I did last see it, it was a badly censored TV screening. I had no idea how grimy and nasty this movie really was. It's a step up from Texas Chain Saw Massacre in that it doesn't feel like a snuff film, but it's still a dark, rough peice of work. The Carter family is driving to California for a vacation. And I mean the entire family. Father, mother, son, daughters, son in law, and granddaughter. They get turned around in the Nevada desert with their camper and end up crashing a little close to an old Air Force nuclear testing site. Naturally, bad things happen.

After the two older men go off looking for help, the family dogs run away. And that's when we meet the titular 'eyes'. Turns out there are a family of surprisingly organized mutants living in these parts, and they haven't had a proper meal in ages. Cut a long and unpleasant assault on the family's trailer. To say anymore would be a crime.

Wes Craven definitely came into his own with his second feature. Gone is the awkward comedy and shifting tones of The Last House on the Left. Hills moves very quickly and never lightens the mood, which makes it oppressive and hard to watch. He takes his time with each shot, letting the landscape fill the screen and establishes the geography of the desert. The gore, while mostly off-screen, is also well done.

The actors all do the job. None of them do stellar work, but they all sell the situation they find themselves in. This is partly due to Craven's script. The dialogue rings true, and the right wing, Christian family never does anything you wouldn't expect them to do. Or yourself to do, if you were in this situation.

I also want to take a moment to talk about the remake. Alexandre Aja's 2006 remake is actually one of the better efforts in this horrible onslaught of unoriginality. It's certainly glossier, and isn't quite the gutpunch the original is, but it's a great movie in its own right. I also kind of prefer the relationship between the father and son in law in the remake as well. They establish the difference between the right wing gun toting father, and the liberal, pacifist son in just the right way to make the son's descent into violence all the more tragic. It's worth your time.

The Hills Have Eyes is a great little movie for those with the stomach for it. Check it out and remember how great Wes Craven can be when he wants. Also, there are only 14 days left in my little project and my slate is filling up fast. Consider this a last request for requests. Any favourites or just something you think I should see, let me know!