User reviews

Let me start by saying that it is a truly disturbingly scary production. Very realistic scenes can satisfy horror enthusiasts. The cast gives a good performance. They seem to realize that they are in a serious horror movie. This leaves a positive impact. The production starts quickly and continues that way. The music played at the opening event signals that a frightening atmosphere will be experienced from the very beginning. I think it is one of the movies that those who like the genre should watch, but as I said, it may be a little disturbing. One of those that will be impressed for a long time.

Shocking. Disturbing. At times hard to watch. All words to describe the horror of being forced to watch Michael Moore take his shirt off. But these terms also accurately describe this brutally vicious upgrade on Wes Craven's 1977 low-budget horror classic.

What would you do if you were traveling through the desert and became stranded amongst a group of genetically-mutated freaks who were intent on killing you? You'd probably die. Granted, I would kick all sorts of genetically-mutated butt (not an easy accomplishment when said butt has a foot growing out of it kicking right back), but the average human would be in some major trouble, just like the Carter family.

The father looks like he could handle himself in a fair fight, after all he is a detective, but what are three girls, a boy, a cell phone-selling geek, and a pizza place (maybe two of you will get that lame joke) going to do against a bunch of unnaturally strong psychos? How will they survive? Will it be through might or strategy? You'll have to watch the movie to find out. And if you're squeamish then you'll most likely find yourself cringing in your seat and watching with your hands over your eyes. The Hills Have Eyes is a movie that knows exactly what it needs to do to satisfy its target audience, and it does it well.

Case in point... I'm not very vocal during movies. I usually don't clap and scream and hoot and holler like most the dorks sitting around me, but there were a couple of scenes where I literally said aloud, "Ooooooooooh, crap!" Of course, one of those instances was during a trailer for Phat Girlz, but one scene of violence left my mouth hanging open for about 30 seconds. Then I realized that my mouth was agape like some buffoon, so I quickly closed it.

It takes a lot to shock and disturb me these days, so congrats go to The Hills Have Eyes for accomplishing that. It comes at you fast and hard and isn't interested in sugar-coating the violence it's about to serve up. The intensity level starts high and never gives you an opportunity to take a bathroom break. I highly recommend you address any and all bladder issues before the movie begins.

For me, the main drawback of the movie was the "hero." You can argue that he was more of a "regular guy" and not a typical macho hero, but I felt he transitioned a little too quickly from a gun-hating wuss to an ax-wielding killing machine. My hat's off to the dog though; that canine rocked! Easily the coolest dog in a movie since the German Shepherd in The Lost Boys.

"I like horror movies, Johnny, but I liked to be creeped out more than being subjected to a lot of gore. Would I like this?" It's very doubtful. I'll make this as blunt as possible: this is a movie that contains severed body parts, brutal shootings, axes to the head, a person biting off a bird's head and drinking its blood, and disturbing violence to helpless women.

If that description turns you off then you know to save your money. However, if that fits your style then the movie will succeed in giving you exactly what you want. But I have to say that if you think this sounds like fun for the entire family then I'll have to decline any invitations to sit down with you for a family dinner.

What made early Wes Craven movies so special were these eary and daunting atmospheres he was so good in creating ; And this is what Hills Have Eyes 2006 totally lacked. Firstly the music through out the movie was awful and totally cliché and unfortunately diminished any depth that HHE was trying to show. I did like the nuclear mutant idea , but then seeing them reminded me on how the original HHE villains had way more presence on the screen and they had no make up !!

Now I did like the actors , they played their respective roles well The effects were good + I did like how they twisted the original script and added some new ideas instead a complete knock off of the original So my final word not a bad movie , but lacked atmosphere/suspense , which is so important in horror/slasher movies , shame !

The Hills Have Eyes? More like the hills have some deformed degenerates who like to call you "Daddy" in the middle of the night!

Jokes aside, this came as a surprise! To tell you the truth, I never had high regard for campy horrors; to me, they are just okay for passing time, nothing more. Therefore, it goes without saying; that I didn't have many expectations, to begin with. Yet here I'm, mulling over what I just saw and also feeling quite ecstatic following my time with the film.

Unlike some of its contemporaries, there is a palpable tension here that they were able to uphold until the end credits started rolling! And trust me, it gets pretty dark in the middle, not to mention, the usage of practical effects and prosthetics took it to a whole new level! Well, all the performances do indeed come off, as you might predict, a bit cheesy, but I have to say I freaking cherished how they handled the character arc of "Doug" (Aaron Stanford).

P. S. That scene towards the ending; when the Camera tries to focus on Doug (Through the campfire) who's coming back to the RV, with blood all over his body and his face, and with him holding his little girl with one hand and the dog leash with the other; that shot, I thought was a great way to ascertain the badassery he had shown earlier!

Doug, my man! I will remember you!

The movie is thrilling, with great monster moments of terror. I felt uncomfortable, but that was intended. A great re-invention of Wes Cravens 80s flick. Not sure it would be PC in 2021, but still a fun watch.

Alexandre Aja, you have a new fan.

Before this movie was released in theaters, I made sure to watch Wes Craven's original endeavor. Let me just start out by saying that compared to today's standards and conventions, Craven's classic "The Hills Have Eyes" seems almost mild when compared to Alexandre Aja's remake. However, purists too skeptic to check this movie out should rest assured that the film is very, VERY faithful to the original. The characters, story, and overall progression of events remain unchanged, however, the quality of all said elements has increased dramatically since the original 70s release. Furthermore, like any other quality remake, there are twists, there are surprises, and for people who think they're getting the same film with updated technology, think again.

The film starts out with the nuclear bomb test-radiation disclaimer, and from there, to those who've screened the original, the familiar New Mexico desert setting is presented for all to take in. Make no mistakes, though. Aja never misses a beat, and he makes sure to take advantage of any opportunity he can when it comes to scaring the living crap out of the audience.

After a very vivid and graphic opening, the film gets rolling, mixing elements of freshness with both nostalgia and familiarity. People who saw the original will know what they're looking at, however their eyes will also be glued to the screen due to the overall difference in presentation and cinematography. The familiar gas station attendant is shown to the audience, and soon after, the Carter family + in-law stroll in. From there, the real fun begins.

Aja and his fellow screenwriter did an amazing job adding depth and dimension to the family members, ensuring that throughout the course of the film, people in the audience would certainly be able to connect with or identify with at least one member of the Carter family. This is accentuated by very strong performances by all the actors. Recognizable, seasoned actors are chosen for the older family members, while younger, relatively lesser known actors are chosen for characters like Bobby and Brenda.

I really could not complain with any of the performances. With all the craziness and gruesome things happening to the family, the actors' reactions are all portrayed very realistically, with emotions dead-on with very few hiccups in line delivery. One performance that stood out in particular to me was definitely that of Aaron Stanford (Pyro, X2 and the upcoming X-Men 3). Despite the fact that Standford was merely a year old when the original 'Hills' was released, he more than proves his acting credibility and fits the role of Doug very well. He does the role justice, and fills the shoes of the protagonist very well. I could go on and on about the performances of the rest of the cast (which are all extremely solid), but you want to know more about the movie, right? One cannot help but compare this film to original. There are 3 reasons I feel Aja's remake tops Craven's original: 1) the emphasis Aja places on the Carters, 2) the make-up effects, 3) the excessive gore.

Whereas Craven gave the deformed family clan plenty of screen time in 1977, Aja opts to shroud them in mystery for much of the film's duration. In many ways, the family emphasis is almost reversed in either film. Aja makes sure to hide the deformed family members from the viewers until just the proper moment, while Craven made their names and personalities as clear as day. I personally think the less information there is about something, the scarier it becomes to the person dealing with it. Aja realized this, and presented it very well.

Speaking of presentation, one cannot help but watch in sheer awe and amazement at some of the deformities displayed by the irradiated family members. I personally have not seen such drastically deformed individuals first hand, and I'm not sure how accurate their portrayals were in 'Hills' '06, but one thing is for sure: they were damn gruesome. Do not be fooled, the little child shown in the commercially televised trailer is NOT representative of the rest of the film.

And then there's the gore. Ah, the gore. Monsieur Aja, you are the brainchild of modern horror, and you definitely know how to ride with the best of them. No body part is taboo in this film, and for all you gore fanatics out there, there are no annoying instances where the camera "looks away" when someone or something is, say, struck with the menacing swing of a weapon. For all those who've said "But I wanted to SEE what happened to him!", rest assured, you will indeed see what happens to everything in this film.

The Hills '06 will satisfy your blood-lust. Alexandre Aja takes Craven's original film and builds on it in just about every way. Better acting, better visual effects, better make-up, better story presentation (i.e. no unanswered plot holes or abrupt "halts"), and much, MUCH more gore. This film is not for the squeamish, and it is my opinion that it will suppress the doubts of any skeptics who, upon seeing this film, may have badmouthed horror movie remakes in the past.

Only thing that caused me to dock it a point were the questionable courses of action some of the characters took. Alas, such things may always fall into the category of "typical horror movie no-no's." Furthermore, I wasn't really horrified while watching this movie. A more accurate description would be that I was highly impressed and satisfied.

Horror movie fans: see this film as soon as you can. Non-horror movie fans: if you see this, prepare to have your world rocked.

See this movie people, it's pure gold.

The Hills Have Eyes, although a remake of the original, was everything a horror movie should be. Typically, I'm not a fan of slasher flicks, but this movie had elements I like to see in a movie. I don't like to see the protagonists making stupid mistakes (the old "curiosity killed the cat" syndrome), I don't like being able to guess the villain 20 minutes into the movie (although this wasn't the scenario in this particular movie). I don't enjoy picking out who's going to do die first, and being correct. I don't think sex scenes have any place in horror movies. I like things to be important and advance the plot.

Although the movie had some "MTV" elements to it, it still adhered to the classic horror movie thrills. The thing I liked about this movie was the fact that they repeatedly "crossed the line", doing things that you wouldn't expect modern movies to do, nothing is off limits in this movie. Horrifying elements that made you, well, terrified. Lots of "boo" surprises, but also more complex and twisted than modern movies have allowed. I spent most of the movie with my mouth agape... It's not just the gore, although there is a lot of that. They didn't leave anything to the imagination, did not imply anything...they showed you everything.

It was admittedly a little slow at first, but then all of the sudden things began to take a turn for the wicked. One thing this movie did that most horror movies don't bother to do is go into character development. Not a lot, but more so than a typical thriller will bother to do.

This movie was so disturbing, I'm not sure I'd want to see it again. That "Deliverance" mentality...you see it once, you're glad you saw it, but so disgusting you're pretty sure you don't want to experience that again.

Any horror aficionado should see this movie.

Plot: A family taking a road trip to celebrate the mother and father's silver anniversary run afoul of another type of nuclear family, one that is cannibalistic and mutated.

Alexandre (High Tension) Aja wrote and directed this remake of the 1977 Wes Craven (who is attached as a producer) semi-classic. It sticks pretty much to the source material story-wise. Almost all of the original is replicated here but a few new wrinkles were thrown into the mix mostly having to do with Jupiter's clan and their origins. A little bit of a political slant is thrown in for good measure but it's not awfully heavy-handed and most will glance over it. The remake turns up the style quite a bit over the original no surprise considering the better budget and change in directors. The gore got bumped up significantly and the family looks more disgusting than ever. Now for the big question, how does it stack up to the original?. I say it did pretty well. The original had it's flaws as well as this one but I think they were both done honestly and Aja did an excellent job trying to pay homage to the original and breathe more life into it. The acting is as good as you'd expect with a pretty good cast. Lovers of the original should be OK with it, I am.

Both the original and the remake score a 7.5 or 8 on my scale.

I found the Hills Have Eyes to be a decent horror/thriller. Not too suspenseful, yet eerie all the same. I'm not a huge fan of Wes Craven, yet I do enjoy his movies from time to time.

The Hills Have Eyes takes the Carter family thru a terrifying experience. A retired old cop takes his family on a trip across the USA. Our story takes place in a desert. After making a wrong turn and being warned to, "Stay on the mail road, you here.", by a gas/junk store attendant. The Carter family find themselves being followed and stalked by an inbred clan of psychotic murderers. Kidnapped and tortured, the family barely escapes. Or do they?

I like this movie. It takes a little while to get going, but if you really think about the story and the characters situation it becomes very horrifying. I think the Hills Have Eyes is a must see.

Alexandre Aja's remake of the Wes Craven classic about a family besieged in the desert by cannibals. This film was a lot better than I thought it would be. While sticking closely to the original's plot, there are a few new twists added to the concept. The monsters aren't really fleshed out, but their past is given more of an explanation. The film is also gorier than the original. Again, this is more of an update tactic. Dan Byrd turns in another fine performance as does Emilie De Ravin. Ted Levine is appropriately gruff as the father. The monsters seem very interchangeable. Its obvious that there are several of them, but they have no personalities like they did in the original. I also don't remember the head of the clan being in a wheelchair with a bulbous head before either. Gone is the brute leader, in is a crippled brain. Some changes work. Some don't. Still, it could have been a lot worse.

I haven't seen the original, but I now want to because this movie rocked. The movie starts as a slow-boil suspense/horror movie, provides some decent jump-scares (at least in the theater) and spends some time building up character. The movie then switches gears and turns into a gritty, brutal horror movie more the likes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and further switches to gears to a action/revenge movie, but still with horror elements. It's scary, sick, nearly uncompromising (the unrated cut will undoubtedly be so) and disturbing, but also adrenaline-filled and riveting. Certainly NOT for the weak-stomached person. People were leaving the theater, and the IMDb boards are rife with people damning the movie for it's 'lack of moral substance' and 'taste'. This movie isn't for the average movie-goer. It's for the horror buffs. Alexendre Aja should be proud, and is 2-for-2 in my book having done this and High Tension.

I couldn't bare to watch it after 50 minutes. If you can't see animals especially dogs hurt in a movie, this probably isn't for you either. Beauty (the name of the first dog) ran around at 30:00, and the heartbreaking whines and gruesome attack lasted till 35:00 I skipped the scenes, but that was the scene of the first dog. Beast (the name of the second dog) ran off around 45:00 to find Beauty, he did, which was the absolute end for me. He was whining after his friends body. I started crying and turned it off. I only watch horror movies, they help me calm down. I've seen my share of them, and never had problems like "too scary" or "too bloody", but judge me or not, if dogs are hurt or in this case killed, I can't... I won't give a rating but all I can say about the first 50 minutes that it was boring, predictable and slow.

We've seen dozens of remakes in the past several years: Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Ring, Dawn of the Dead, The Fog. None could hold a candle next to the original films.

Could it be? After all this time, do we finally found a remake that's actually superior? You're damn right! The Hills Have Eyes is not at all like the other remakes in this ungodly trend. It's not a cheap cash-in. It's a movie made with respect by horror filmmakers for horror fans.

Sure, it has its share of problems: There are too many cheesy false scares, they added a corny patriotic subtext, and it sticks so close to the original that fans will find little in the way of surprises. But it's a leaner, meaner animal than Wes Craven's original film. The characters are more believable, the mutants are scarier, and the whole thing is incredibly visceral! This is the first studio horror film in years that I've liked...mainly because it doesn't feel like a studio horror film.

Funny side note: A girl next to me in the theater was silently weeping through the last half of the movie. Guess it made an impression.

The movie begins with a prologue saying: Between 1945 and 1962 the United States conducted 33 atmospheric nuclear tests.Today the government still denies the genetic effects caused by the radioactive fallout.This gore-feast deals about a family in holidays traveling in a caravan.The family is formed by father(Ted Levine),mother(Kathleen Quinlan), daughter(Vanessa Shaw) with her husband(Aaron Stamford)and their baby, and two teens(Dan Byrd,Emilie De Davin). A gas Station attendant(Tom Bower) lead them for driving along a wrong turn throughout the New Mexico desert.But their journey becomes a nightmare for the familiar group pushed by eerie maniacs.Then a cruel band of inbred mutants cannibals attack them.They are taken in the nightmare clutches of homicidal inhabitants desert.A mysterious unseen creatures drag them away and torture,kill and they transform into flesh eating.These brutal people with rare names,Lizard(Robert Joy),Papa Jupiter(Billy Drago) and Big Brain(Desmond Askew)murder and dismember passing travelers.The maniacal assassins slaughter victims and annihilate the family members.

The film packs,tension,suspense,chills,terror,sadism and lot of blood and gore -including impalement,attempted rage,shot in the face,sliced,stabbing- courtesy of Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger.They create a creepy make-up of horrible mutants cannibals.The murders are gruesomely executed and equally as graphic as the original movie.The film is constituted by a well done terror set pieces with creepy and spooky atmosphere.The mutants appearance delivers the goods with hair raising chills and full scares.The story is borrowing from the classic¨Texas chainsaw massacre¨until recent movies like ¨Wrong turn¨and ¨House of 1000 corpses¨and of course¨Wes Craven's The hills have eyes¨. The motion picture is skillfully directed by Alexandre Aja.In spite of seeing a new version,it's certainly one of the most unsettling remakes of the last years. It's recently exhibited the second part directed by Martin Weisz.The film isn't apt for little boys,neither squeamish.

I just saw a special preview screening of this film...

It was alright in my opinion - not quite what I was expecting though...

It will definitely make you jump a lot, and is definitely scary enough - the film is perhaps a bit too disturbing though...

The storyline is OK, albeit a bit thin for my liking. The acting was OK but nothing amazing...

The feeling of helplessness in this movie is what I really liked about it. It captures that feeling perfectly, in a similar fashion to 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'... In fact, it reminded me a lot of that movie in many ways...

The people I went to see this movie with, didn't really enjoy it... however, I thought it wasn't too bad...

Anyway - Some of the scenes are pretty horrific to the extreme, so only watch this if you are not easily offended by stuff like that... It has got to be one of the sickest most disturbing movies I have seen for some time... Not to everyone's taste... But if you like that kind of thing... Go and see this...

Bottom line: If you enjoyed Texas Chainsaw Massacre, then you will probably enjoy this film in my opinion...