The Hills Have Eyes (remake)
| release date | March 10 2006 |
| studio | Fox Searchlight |
| director | Alex Aja |
| writer | Alex Aja, Gregory Levasseur |
| starring | Ezra Buzzington, Aaron Stanford, Kathleen Quinlan, Ted Levine, Vinessa Shaw, Emilie de Ravin |
| rating | R |
| site | www2.foxsearchlight.com/thehillshaveeyes |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
0 Comments
Terrifying. That is one word that describes this movie. I have never been shaking after i have seen a movie. It is rare that a movie makes me think if i should watch it. I try not to watch this alone. And i know i might sound like a pussy. But this movie scares the shit out of me.
Hill have Eyes is the best remake so far.
really good
I really liked this movie, but it didn’t scare me that much since I had seen the original. But overall I enjoyed the story very much. Recommended but you’ll probably enjoy this more if you have never seen the original.
this was a pretty good remake. most remakes dont come out very well but this one did. i was impressed. it wasnt “scary” scary but a “jump out from around the corner scary”.
Big fan of this Film in Theaters… From the opening to the finale this film dosen’t let up… The most intense remake EVER…. this is how Hollywood should be handling the classics!
Great movie. Good effects. B+ acting. and…….good film.
probably one of the best remakes ever.
Best movie ever!!!! It’s the best remake ever! Every time I watch it, it get’s better and better…
One of the best horror movie remakes ive ever seen.
One of the most perfect movies I’ve ever seen. I never saw the original film, but this is one of the few superior remakes, I’m sure.
It’s more of the slow-paced Alien-ish horror movie than the non-stop action/gore in the Saw franchise, but I like both styles. The pacing also helped the characters not become hopeless clichés, thank God.
The plot isn’t wholesale original, even for the 70′s, but it really doesn’t need to be. It’s just a load of fun. The desert atmosphere is unlike anything I’ve seen in a horror movie to date, and there is some diversity to it.
Is it scary? Not whatsoever. Is it gory? Not really by today’s torture-porn standards. Still, it’s both instance and bloody enough to be a drop-kick to the face–just not the shotgun to the face other movies are. And that alone is refreshing to me.
Way better than the original…
perfect
The best remake? Really? Have you guys seen the fly? How about The Ring? This movie was good, but not perfect.
“Director Alex Aja shows great potential especially on the heels of 2003′s thriller, “High Tension,” which played with similar themes of savagery and blood vengeance. His approach to horror cinema is uncompromisingly brutal and appropriately cathartic, and will delight hardcore fans everywhere. Others may not be so pleased, [but the intended audience for this type of film is quite obvious].
Well-lensed by Maxime Alexandre (who also DP’ed Aja’s “High Tension”) and tightly edited by Baxter (ditto), this post-millennial retelling of the Wes Craven classic strikes its audience right in the face with its bloody allegory of America’s xenophobic nightmares, Mexico and Iraq. I’m surprised that other commentators haven’t seen this yet, or perhaps they have and I just haven’t caught up with them. Seemed pretty blatant to me, though. Representative white-bread conservative family unit (with one black sheep) marooned in the remote desolation of New Mexico that turns out to be a restricted atom bomb test site (read: U.S. military flexing its muscle) is beset upon by a family of homicidal subhumans (ostensibly created through the mutating influence of radioactive fallout) who live troll-like in the equally abandoned gold and silver mines of their forefathers. Mayhem ensues. Survivors become as much via rapid descent to the animal level of their assailants. The ol’ red savagery of tooth and claw, or in this case, pickaxes, baseball bats, and German Shepards.
Or maybe I’m insane. At any rate, Aja slowly ratchets up the suspense in his first act, building character and filling in back story, then smacks you in the head with a gobbet of wet flesh in the second, and serves up an even bloodier catharsis of vengeance in the third. The two biggest names in the cast, the aptly-cast Ted “Silence of the Lambs” Levine and Kathleen “Breakdown” Quinlan, are dispatched first, quickly followed by the beautiful Vinessa “Eyes Wide Shut” Shaw. The parents’ kids, Dan “I’m a lot older than I play in this movie” Byrd and Emilie “Lost” de Ravin and the babe’s hubby, played by Aaron “X2″ Stanford, turn in bravura performances as they battle the brood of mutant cannibals (read: Ay-rabs and Messicans) trying to kill them. The baddies sport a fair number of character actors, including Robert “Land of the Dead” Joy, Billy “I haven’t done anything notable since ‘The Untouchables’ but I sure get work” Drago, and Tom “You’ve seen me in all kinds of stuff even if you can’t remember my name” Bower. The gore is copious and unflinching, courtesy of the genius of Greg Nicotero and Co., whose work seems to be everywhere these days.
Aja, along with co-screenwriter, Gregory Levasseur (anyone beginning to see a highly tense pattern here?) keeps the stakes high as well. The family dog, Beauty, isn’t just killed, she’s eviscerated graphically. The father isn’t just killed in front of his family, he gets burned alive so realistically you’d swear you could toast marshmallows by the scene. Next thing you know, Sis and Mom are dead or dying, younger Sis has been raped and traumatized, and things are looking pretty bad. They only get worse. I won’t bore you with any further recap, but will say that although the grand guignol finale sadly slips into Hollywood overkill (Robert Joy, lie down! Yer dead!), it’s still far more effective delivering orgasms of sanguine catharsis than 2005′s “Hostel,” a darkly-minded pretender to the “Straw Dogs” throne.
Upshot of this meandering comment: this one’s a keeper, especially when the director’s untrimmed cut is released on DVD. It has its flaws (can anyone say, “bad CGI birds? I knew you could! How about, “twist ending obviously designed to set up a sequel?” Sure you can!), but far fewer than either of Rob Zombie’s cinematic visions or the overrated Aussie contender, “Wolf Creek.” Definitely not for weak stomachs or those who cringe at the very idea of threatening helpless women and babies, let alone grown men.
I’ll be looking forward to Aja’s future efforts, disturbing as that concept may be.” –MrGKB
Very well done. Aja is talented beyond his years. Creates the intesity of Haute Tension, and the nihilism of Craven in a perfect combination. Can’t wait to see Mirrors, as P2 wasn’t really what I was expecting.
While I haven’t seen the original, I don’t have to to realize this is a shitty remake and a shitty film overall. It has useless acting, and stupid plot and gratuitous gore. Just terrible.
Very good remake by Alexandre Aya, not as good as Haute Tension, but far better than the original!!! This is how to make a trash movie into a piece of art trash movie with a story behind it!
I thought this remake was fantastic. The music was really good, the acting for the most part, was extraorinary, and the cinemetography was also really really great. The storyline was fantastic and the blood and gore was over the top, it was almost perfect for me. Almost. This was one of the best horror remakes I’ve ever seen. But The Hills Have Eyes 2, the direct sequel to this film, sucked so much ass.
A wonderful remake that rarely surpasses the original and packs a nasty punch in the gut of all squeemish people. a real fun movie to watch in the theaters, some people will not be able to handle or watch some of the real violent scenes, however it’s a delight to true horror movie fans, like me.
alex aja takes another new step towards becoming a great filmaker.
what remakes should be like
As remakes go, better than most.
This is THE best remake of a classic at the moment. Makes the original look like crap (and that’s saying a lot because I’m a fan of the original). Alexandrea Aja really knows how to build tension! More positives: there’s plenty of gore, and CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT (which splatterfests nowadays are missing). Buy this, buy this, buy this. Not only is it the best remake so far, it’s also one of the best HORROR MOVIES of the decade!
Excellent remake. Alexandra Aja does a brilliant job bringing this up to date by playing on post 9/11 and Iraq war fears. The first half is brilliant in exploring the family and building up their characters. The Carters are such a likeable family , when the mutants strike its horrible what this family has to endure. The trailer attack is superb , especially the unrated version which is so nasty and violent, so much it hurts to watch. As this film heads towards its climax its nerve jangling stuff. Nothing hurts more than a pick axe to the head, a knife through the foot and a flag through the neck!!! Bloody, gory, relentless, brilliant. I’ve seen this film dozens of times and just love it. Shame the direct to dvd sequel was such utter crap. This one though I cannot rave about enough.Highly highly recommended.
Alex aja… When someone says his name, I can Name THE HILLS HAVE EYES right off the bat. Well i felt a little embaressed about leaving the theater when the Rape part came and i barley saw any movie like that Before that gave me that Shock and horror. Alex Makes The Original Wes movie “THE HILLS HAVE EYES”(1977) look like Elmos world. It was brilliant with how the Jagged hills and the town, Especially The fight scene was very well done and Very bloody and graphic. Looked like he used a little CGI blood on some scenes. But dont even get me Started on Score. Tomandandy Not only match the music with the movie, He makes a Masterpeice of horror. Disturing and heart pounding. Perfect from The Beginning Titles to the Credits.
I love how the dog gets his revenge. its awesome.
Slicing and dicing. I just wish he Directed the second one. Which comes to mind. I need to review that one too. I give this movie a perfect 10. With Mutant rapes to Waking up in a Pile of body parts. I wish i could meet this brilliant man. Well Peace Out!
Kick ass hero music that doesn’t make me feel like a douchebag while i’m listening to it! This movie far exceeded my expectations. I don’t care if it’s a remake. It’s good filmmaking. I love that the first review i read about this here, said that they had to leave during the rape scene! That is awesome! I’m sick of this holding back bullshit! Kick me in the teeth! Disturb me! I love it.
I love this movie. It’s so raw and in your face.
I liked Hills 2, but most people didnt
I loved this movie. A great remake. I loved seeing Buffalo Bill in another movie.
an amazing remake if it needed to be said!
when i first watched this movie i was watching it with my mum at 10:30 at night through 5.1 surround sound …it made us jump behind pillows
great movie
Good movie.
this is one of the FEW great remakes
Great just terrific. Alexandre Aja made this movie with great storyline and disgusting freaks. It’s one of the best remakes of all time. Absolutely perfect. This movie never gets boring. full ten all the way.
Good filmaking. But boring and I feel like I couldn’t connect with the characters. None of em.
Best remake I can think of.
one of the only remakes that i think surpasses the origional awsome effects and makeup!they took the origional and added a bit on the end ,threw in way more gore and made it there own ,loved it go watch it!
Definitely enjoyable. Nothing groundbreaking or horrifying. In fact, it’s almost exactly like the original one with a tweaked ending.
I have never seen the original, but I’m guessing the remake did it justice and even more. I loved this movie, the characters were smart, and did realistic things. Even the dog was a great actor. The protagonists actually fought back, which is what I really enjoyed.
Still the best remake to date.(The Last House on The Left comes in a close 2nd.) This film had some real scares and was very intense the entire time once the family was attacked.
Suprisenly,I thought this was better then the original. Alexander Aja did a great job directing this film.
One of my favorite horror movies of all time and IMO, one of the best remakes, ’nuff said.
Knowing that this film’s a remake, and horrormonstercreature films are getting suckier and suckier…. The Hills Have Eyes is pure GOLD.
terrific remake that TOTALLY surpasses the original. this is one of my favorite horror films. it’s scary and it’s one of the most brutal, and nasty films i’ve seen. the cast is great, ted levine and kathleen quinland were excellent as the parents, and dan byrd was excellent, as well as vinessa shaw and emilie de ravin. the make up fx by knb were once again amazing! seriously, this film should’ve been nominated for an oscar for their work alone. each mutant is hideous, even the one who looks like sloth from the goonies. the trailer attack scene in this remake, especially in the unrated version, is totally INSANE! my god, i thought while in theaters that it was nuts, but when i saw the unrated version it was even more fucked up. alexander aja did a fantastic job with this one.
best remake ever.
my favourite movie ever.
one of the best young directors ever.
a must see for hoororfans.
i also kinda liked hills 2 but alot of people didn’t. but the first one is way better!
and when you like the movie you should also get the graphic novel : The hills have eyes the beginning
A film that I was so excited to see on opening day, and ended up leaving so disappointed. What do you say about a film where the character with the highest body count is a freakin’ dog? While the gore is good, gore does not make a good film on its own, you need either a good story, good characters or good atmosphere, and these are all things that The Hills Have Eyes remake lacks.
great film
really good movie
The hills have eyes is a great horror movie.
It is definetely one of the better remakes.
This movie is bloody, brutal, and extremely scary.
Alex Aja(Switchblade Romance) knows how to make a true horror movie with such skill and creativity.
DO NOT and i mean DO NOT go see The hills Have Eyes 2 because you will not be satisfied whatsoever. I recommend seeing this movie.
snagged the unrated edition at the flea market fo’ a dolla’! Hah! Anywhosville, this movie is a nice thrill in the hill I tell ya’, fo’ Hollywood ya’ know this is a tasty treat for after dark behind closed doors ya’ know what I’m saying?
Alex Aja does it again, this guy is a horror genius in my opinion. This has to be on the top 5 horror remakes ever. Gory, suspenseful, and action packed. Great horror film, if you haven’t seen it, SEE IT!!!
My number #1 favorite remake of all time!!
Personally I ddint care for the original so I love this movie and think it is one of those remakes that is better than its predecessor.
Great remake and very disturbing
I wouldn’t give it 5/5, but it definitely wins on brutality, gore and action. The mutants were pretty ugly/scary, and I liked the sympathetic girl mutant. The 50s-style abandoned town for atomic testing was well done and creepy. The normal guy going on a rampage kicked ass.
I did like this film but with all the brutality I felt like it was just trying to shock and nothing more.
I’m not sure what people liked about this, after my wife and I watched it, we both thought it was pretty damn bad..
Wasnt scary at all, just not for me..
I enjoyed it..It was def. gross and its my type
Sick twisted movie. love it.
Loved it. All I’m gonna say.
A really effin’ brutal remake of the Wes Craven original. It takes a bit o’ set-up, but that’s okay, cuz you’re supposed to know the characters before they get all effed up. And they truly do, as do the mutants. Further proof of why Alex Aja is so awesome in the genre.
Savagely good film. Don’t be fooled into thinking its not amazing just because it was released in ’06, because this film is top-notch. Its gripping, involving, stomach-churning and thrilling, not to mention that parts of the film resemble scenes of ‘Video Nasties’ here in the UK, its that messed up.
A real addition to the collection, ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ is a brutal film that stops at nothing to shock you.
10/10
‘The Hills Have Eyes Remake is a brilliant set, style & type for its Genre (Horror & Thriller, while being a masterfully builds suspense & it really dose have no limits & pulls of the bloody gory, guts scares, shocks, terror & out-rages formats in to this well crafted Remake. Alex Aja really was the right choices of directing & Partly a writer he really took the element of this movie to a whole new level for our generation (as the Original will always be the best & Wes Craven best first movie he could make as he is a brilliant & as stands for the classic or cult Horror movie he has made, the acting was perfect with a very decent well crafted bunch of actors & actress. This movie is one of those rare Horror Remake that everybody like or Loves it in this case I love it best of 2006 movie& Horror Movie & of its decade (2000-2010 while being outstanding Horror & Thriller in the Movie. LV IT!!! =)
(Also it isn’t Torture porn as I do agree with Bloody Disgusting.com as who ever say that are total idiots as here was some nudity but never saw any skin & one or two rape scenes).
Brilliant remake! much better than the original.The first half of the movie is so suspenseful its nearly unbearable, ESPECIALLY the camper scene!OMG!!! The cast was incredible the mutants everything! The only mutant movie better IN MY OPINION was Wrong Turn.Only thing I would have changed was to have Vinessa Shaw survive or last longer.
My personal favourite, very scary, involving, disturbing and gory. Great ingredients for a horror!
Really is one of those films where you find yourself taking sides, and jumping for joy when the bad guys are killed.
A well-deserved 10/10
The Hills Have Eyes remake is probably the best remake so far. Awesome gore and make up effects. However, the follow up, The Hills Have Eyes 2 sucked. You couldn’t see a fucking thing.
Perfect remake you got to love it when the nerd guy and his dog get pissed off and end up killing every mother f**ker that they see!.
Awesome movie.
One of my personal favorites. I liked this movie a hell of a lot.
Personally liked the second one too, but not as much as this one.
Yes, just yes.
This movie is alright, for a remake. It falls into the tired, and predictable, angles that contemporary Horror has. It sacrifices the building of tension for the “payoff” of gore. It should’ve been more mystery than murder; but, it wasted no time stepping into the foray. Again, good as a remake, but, nothing spectacular.
Whoa! this is 100x better than the original. Wes Craven’s original was a piece of crap. THIS is a good one. SEE it!!!
Stupendous! It had a bad ass hero without ever falling into cheesiness. And gore was awesome too. At times tension was unbearable and it wasn’t predictable in any way since I never saw the original. I can’t believe and never saw this flick before. I saw the sequel first and it was utter shit so I never felt like seeing this one. But believe me this film has nothing to do with the 2nd part.
Great remake.
WOW This has got to be one of the most intense movies ive ever seen. I loved how its kind of a slow burner like not alot happens in the first 40 mins (besides the beginning DAMN) or so but the suspense keeps building like crazy until that disgusting (but needed) trailor scene when all hell breaks loose and then turns into a badass revenge/gore flick. Its not perfect (i could have done without the token ‘good’ mutant and dont even get me started on the final scene but its still one of the best and most visceral horror movies ive seen and is one of my favs. Very highly recomended to horror fans but non-horror folks should stay farrrr away.
This Is A Great Movie!
Scary-4
Gore-5
Strangness-4
Action-4
Drama-3
pretty good remake also love the orignal too
I had the distinct pleasure of viddying this one in theaters. One of the greatest horror remakes of all time and a rarity in the fact that surpasses the original in every department. Brutal,incredibly intense and terrifying; a true onslaught on the senses, The Hills Have Eyes is one of the best horror films of the 2000′s.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES, EVER! An amazing remake and Alexandre Aja never disappoints!
Probably one of the best, truest and most loyal remakes I’ve ever seen
Excellent film, everything perfect!!
I never saw the original version, but this I love it.
Wes Craven created the original “The Hills Have Eyes” in 1977, and the concept was certainly original and had lots of potential. Unfortunately Wes didn’t manage to make a classic, but instead an average 70′s slasher film. Here, Alexandre Aja takes that brilliant idea and perfects it into exactly what Wes was trying to achieve.
Of course only horror lovers will really understand why this film is so great. Others will simply think it’s mindless violence, however I don’t believe it is. At times it can seem like killing for the sake of killing but that only occurred to me once during the whole film and is that such a bad thing anyway? What’s great here is the wonderful screenplay by Aja himself (I’ll call him Aja because that amuses me) it begins as a slow burner. We are given plenty of likable character development, which paints a wonderful portrait of family life. My family isn’t like this but I can certainly imagine this would be an accurate portrayal for many other families. The key to a really masterful slasher is having characters who we can relate to and care about. Aja has got this down to a tee! So Aja gives us brilliant characters for the first 40 minutes and teases the audience with only slight cameos of the mutants and then BAM! We’re given this truly brutal and hideously memorable scene in within 10 minutes where everything happens! I won’t spoil it for you but it really is horrific and as with all French directors, outlandishly brutal and realistic.
From here the film turns into this incredibly epic survival game where our anti-hero Doug goes on a bloody quest to find his baby. We’re given suspense, tension (like in Aja’s superb “High Tension”) and edge-of-your-seat bloody fight sequences that always ends with you going “OOH!” or “YOUCH!” But at the same time thinking just how perfect these sequences are.
Aja’s directing is really nice. He knows how to make the audience jump or how to make them pump with excitement. At times the cinematography can make you feel really isolated, with the long ominous shots of the desert hills and the endless planes of sand. This is film making at its best.
Love slasher horror? Then you will absolutely adore this! “The Hills Have Eyes” is 100x better than the original and that’s due to Aja’s remarkable directing and screenplay. The acting is pretty good to and the mutants are horrifying! Right from the make-up effects to the soundtrack, the hills do have eyes, they also have a heart and plenty of blood!
This was the best remake ever the part where the guy goes into their House scared the crap out of me!
It’s a great movie and one of the best
too much.
This movie is absolutely timeless. It will never lose it’s shocking brutality, it will be horrifying twenty years from now, and then thirty. I have a feeling this will be something of a classic in the years ahead.
Gory, shocking, intense, and psychological (you really see the effects of horror on characters’ minds), plus a hot, hopeless setting make this, well, to me at least, damn perfect. Absolute A+!
Amazing movie!
AMAZING REMAKE! Utterly TERRIFYING! Very raw and brutal and definitely not for everybody but I loved it. Great story, acting, locations, directors, and great special and visual effects. It is truly a HARD CORE HORROR FILM!