Sadly Over-hyped

Don't listen to the negative reviews

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Man, oh man. I remember 12 years ago when I was a horror-hound junior in High School and the trailer/website for The Hills Have Eyes remake showed up on the internet. Despite my luke-warm response to High Tension (the clunky Lions Gate released a R-Rated english dubbed version left me disappointed) I was excited to say the least. Before I start critiquing, I want to note that I do enjoy a lot of horror remakes; The Thing is arguably one of the best horror films ever made. I found The Ring superior to Ringu, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) was a surprisingly brutal & unsettling experience, The Last House On the Left (2009) shot a dose of family drama into what many were expecting to be a trope-saturated horror flick, and I Spit On Your Grave was a balls-the-wall revenge shocker with no signs of pretentious social commentary. The fact that THHE is a remake is not the problem, it's just a really bad film. The film is so paper thin. The acting is solid, if not lazy at times. The violence is rather overt with no real purpose aside from appeasing to the fans of the vapid Saw franchise. The hillbilly killers look like guys from those high production haunted hayride events; they're costumes, blatantly absurd to look like actual monsters; it feels like you're playing something out of the Mortal Konbat universe. The most 'shocking' parts are nothing other than exploitation in high contrast. The camera work/editing is similar to a heavy metal music video, and the music at one point mimics the National Anthem after an American flag gets stabbed through a skull; I mean, were they serious? Then they try to justify this whole deliberate killfest at attempting to make somencommentary on the injustice of social classes? Kill me now! Horrendous movie.

There's not much difference between this remake and the 1977 original. A family of campers have decided to drive across America. Unfortunately for them, this includes the desert, wherein the 1950's the army carried out a series of nuclear tests. After stopping for gas, and inadvertently offending the station attendant, he tells the group of a shortcut through a valley in the hills... Just as it starts to dawn on them that the shortcut is turning out to be a long drive, their tyres blow out... This is a 50th wedding anniversary they'll remember until they die... which won't be long...This may sound disrespectful of Wes Craven, but the best thing about this film, by far, is the direction. Alexandre Aja, who had only previously directed the acclaimed, magnificent, and one of my favourite films, Haute Tension, does the story proud. His eye for panoramic shots and the ability to create an atmosphere of aloneness with them, and then his use of the nuclear-blasted "Little America", complete with creepy mannequins, creates a really uneasy eeriness that's exactly what the story needed.Also opting to get rid of the dreadful electronic soundtrack was a bonus. This was a major hindrance to the original. Without it, the excitement is created in different ways; camera shots, angles, lighting, acting, and sound effects.The other nice thing was the cast... though a cameo by Michael Berryman wouldn't have gone amiss. There are a more than a few solid actors in the film. Ted Levine as Big Bob the ex-policeman and father of the group. He gives a solid reliable performance in a supporting role, though he's yet to come across a role as meaty as his Buffalo Bill Silence Of The Lambs character. His wife, Ethel, is played by the beautiful and talented Kathleen Quinlan. Though the stand out characters is Tom Bower as the gas station attendant, Robert Joy as Lizard - he really does appear to enjoy this role, Dan Byrd as Bobby, and Emilie De Ravin as Brenda.Also, the special effects have moved on a long way from 1977... instead of the bright red blood which flowed copiously back then, we have a more realistic crimson, which gets slashed, gouged, and blasted insanely all over the place. Not only do the hills have eyes, they also run red...This is how a remake should be made. It was brave of Aja not to change the story but to bring it up-to-date, not just in the story but also with the filming techniques. Aja, just adds his skill into the mix and the outcome is beautiful, brilliant, and spooky as hell enjoyment. Because of this, I would recommend every horror fan or wannabe to check this out rather than the original 1977 film.

Saw this on a DVD in 2006. Had seen the original on a VHS in the late 80s. Bought the dvds of the remakes. Felt like reviewing the remake as its much better than the original. Alexander Aja (High Tension) did a terrifc job in remaking Wes Cravens 1977 cult movie. Aja managed to greatly improve upon the flawed original in more ways than can be counted. This one is scarier, intense, a visceral experience n more technically improved remake coz of the larger budget and major studio backing. This movie is like a shotgun to your senses. The mood, atmosphere, and music add the perfect touch of edge of your seat creepiness. This is an extremely rare occurrence when a remake is far superior to the original. Cinematographer Maxime Alexandre allows Aja to use the desert to its fullest to create a foreboding landscape. The hills and desert in bright yellows and subdued reds. The Moroccan locations that double for New Mexico r captured perfectly as a waste land totally isolated and foreboding at the same time.

The Hills Have Eyes (2006) is a decent horror slasher remake flick from Wes Craven's classic film from the 70's. Don't get me wrong by my title when I said is better than the original, I like Wes Craven's classic horror film from the 70's, but Wes Craven ruined it, with a rushed unnecessary sequel. Watching this flick I must say I love this flick to death, much better than the original. It is my personal best horror remake of them all, the best one that Hollywood come up with it, this is just my opinion. It is more bloody, more entertaining and it has for more action than Wes Craven's original flick did. I love this flick and it is definitely in my favorite horror slasher films. The fact is: this film is well shot, well directed by Alexander Aja, has a good intensity to it, wonderful score by Tomandandy, a solid job by Aaron Stanford aka Doug (for me the acting of the leads, like Doug, in this version was way better than the original), and the ending was extremely thrilling. Great comeuppance of the mutants by Aaron Stanford. His fight against the mutants to save his baby was intense, brutal, bad ass, and was a hell of a fight. He deserved his victory. This film is a fast action packed horror flick that put's you on the edge of your seat. I recommend this film to any horror film fan, but it is not for everyone.Plot: A cross-country road trip takes a deadly turn in this chilling remake of Wes Craven's classic horror film about a stranded family that falls prey to a freakish clan of blood-thirsty mutants in the New Mexico desert. Packed with gut-wrenching gore and heart-stopping suspense, The Hills Have Eyes will keep you on the edge of your seat! I like the original, but it ends without any explanation, this movie does far way better, I like the changes Doug Bukowski (Aaron Stanford) was such a bad ass in this movie, far way better than the character was in the original. Pluto (Michael Bailey Smith) was a creepy horror slasher mutant in this film, unlike he was in the original. I like the music score by Tomandandy François-Eudes Chanfrault, which it was far way better score than in the original film was. Aaron Stanford for me in this film is a real bad ass no question debut. I also liked the actress in this film Emilie de Ravin who plays sister-in-law of Doug Bukowski, her acting was amazing, she was gorgeous and weary beautiful I love her to death. Mostly I remember her as Claire Littleton from Lost (2004).I know this film isn't a cult classics or potential classic, but for a horror flick, it is far way far better than the original and this film took my breath away. Dan Byrd also did a solid job as Brenda's brother Bobby Carter. You have also Ted Levine from Joy Ride, Tom Bower from Die Hard 2 (1990), Billy Drago from Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990) who plays another villain in this film and Robert Joy from CSI: NY (2005) as his beloved character Dr. Sid Hammerback. The cast is still great in this film and it have a solid cast. You have an explosion in this film, a lot of action, a lot of fights, the villains are really scary and not goofy like they were in the original.I like the scene when Doug then awakes in an icebox where the mutants keep the bodies of their victims and he bangs on the box until it opens, I love all bloody scenes and I love that Brenda, Bobby and of course Doug with his baby Catherine stays the family on the end of the film.Good horror films STICK WITH YOU. "The Hills Have Eyes" (2006) is such a film -- a masterpiece of horror. I saw it in on my computer 3 years ago and I never forgot it. It's bloody, grotesque, and very disturbing -- which, of course, make it a great film -- a film to be remembered (and heck, it's only a re-make)! The performances and the story are believable and shocking -- and really, that's what I want in a horror flick: I want realism -- otherwise, what's so scary? They spared nothing.Overral: I love this flick to death, It is my favorite horror flick and the best one in the remakes. It get's a solid 10 by me.The Hills Have Eyes is a 2006 American horror film and remake of Wes Craven's 1977 film The Hills Have Eyes. Written by filmmaking partners Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur of the French horror film Haute Tension, and directed by Aja.10/10 Grade: Bad Ass Seal Of Approval Studio: 20th Century Fox, Dune Entertainment Major Studio Partners Starring: Aaron Stanford, Kathleen Quinlan, Vinessa Shaw, Emilie de Ravin, Dan Byrd, Robert Joy, Ted Levine Director: Alexandre Aja Producers: Wes Craven, Peter Locke, Marianne Maddalena, Cody Zwieg Screenplay: Alexandre Aja, Grégory Levasseur Based on The Hills Have Eyes by Wes Craven Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 48 Mins. Budget: $15.000.000 Box Office: $69,570,032