Thursday, September 15, 2016

The hills are aliiiiiiiiiive.....and they have eyes.....

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)                                        G
Pretty good “survival” horror flick from the late 70’s directed by the late Wes Craven.  Not the best of the decade or by the filmmaker but still has that gritty, harrowing aspect that made most of those post-“flower power” years so great.  I met the bald mutant that plays Pluto…nice guy.  I also met Wes Craven and Dee Wallace.  R.I.P. Wes.
The Hills Have Eyes, Part 2 (1985)                            EH
Subpar sequel picking up where the first left off, also directed by Mr. Craven.  Infamous amongst horror fans for having a recollection by a dog, this is ultimately pretty bad.  It almost fits the so-bad-its-good category.  It’s pretty much a typical slasher indicative of the decade without a mystery to the killer(s) identity.  Ironic coming from the same guy that would call out common tropes of the subgenre a decade later with the Scream franchise.
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)                                        OK
Just watch the original and add this to the unnecessary remake pile.  Made for modern audiences (ten years ago) but slower (?!) than the 1977 film.  The only thing I can say I liked better this time was the bloody violence.  The gore is just right, not too grotesque and not too discreet.  It doesn’t happen often but when it does, this horror freak was very happy.  The villains looked too much like cast members of the Wrong Turn series. Only instead of inhabiting the West Virginia woods, they’re desert-dwellers and not necessarily inbred but victims of radiation. 
The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007)                                     B
Considering the original sequel to the original film wasn’t spectacular, did you really think this sequel to the not-so-great remake would be any good?  It doesn’t make the original sequel any better than it is, but I would absolutely tell people to waste their time with that over this garbage.  I can’t believe Wes Craven actually involved himself with this!  I have a feeling if this was made posthumously, he’d be rolling over and over in his grave!  9/14/2016

---Sean O.

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