Directed by Alexandre Aja. Starring Ted Levine, Kathleen Quinlan, Dan Byrd, Aaron Stanford, Tom Bower, Billy Drago. Horror. Synopsis: A family traveling through the desert in the western part of the
I'm a horror movie fan and, by definition, a fan of most things Wes Craven. But, I have to admit that I had not seen the original Hills Have Eyes, so I was able to go into this DVD with an open mind, wondering only if Wes would be happy to have this remake associated with his name, which is synonymous with horror.
I think he'd be pretty pleased.
This movie is strictly formulaic horror fare, and you know the drill. Group of people (in this case a family) become stranded/trapped and set upon by the bad guys/monsters. In this film, the monsters are human, but mutant humans of considerable strength and insatiable bloodlust derived, apparently, from there being in the area of some nuclear testing back in the day which led to a generation of horribly disfigured descendants. Now, those of you with even the slightest knowledge of mutations, genetics, or the effects of radiation will have to suspend your disbelief as to the ability of people so affected by radiation to still have the ability to reproduce and pass the mutation along, (not to mention live in a town that, apparently, is not known to anyone else) but I'm betting you can do that.
Although this formula is nothing new and the first half hour of the movie drags a little, as you prepare for the inevitable, you will find yourself hating the mutants and pulling for the-sometimes-less- than- clear thinking family members to survive and take out their revenge.
In a film like this, the makeup is more important than usual because, lets be honest, if the mutants aren't scary or repulsive, well, that's half the battle right there. They will disgust you, for the most part, by their appearance and any attempt to create any feelings of sympathy went out the window, at least for me, when you realize how violent they are.
Along those lines, this is not an easy film to watch, and may be unwatchable for some. There is extreme violence, both implied and not. You'll see one of the family members burned alive and the attempted rape of another, not to mention the disturbing image of one of the mutants trying to suckle at the breast of another reluctant female family member.
On the other hand, the surviving family members give almost as good as they get and, those of you who are-like me-dog lovers will find some more justification for the truism that dogs "are man's best friend".
The acting is good, especially when you accept the fact that this is horror and not Shakespeare. Ted Levine (Silence of the Lambs) and Kathleen Quinlan (A Civil Action) are the patriarch and matriarch of the nuclear family that has the misfortune to break down in the desert, near the mutants but, of course , out of cell phone range and friendly humans. Dan Byrd (Salem's Lot) is one of the children and is once again impressive. You get the feeling that we will be seeing a lot of Mr. Byrd in the future, I don't think talent like this will join the "forgotten child actor" club. Aaron Stanford does a wonderful job as the irritating son-in-law. Fans of notable but nameless character actors will recognize Tom Bower (The Negotiator, True Believer, The Badge).Billy Drago (The Untouchables) is unrecognizable in his role as one of the meanest mutants, but its still doubtful he is as evil as he was as Frank Nitti in his most famous role. (Isn't that scene where Kevin Costner's Eliot Ness throws Drago's Frank Nitti off the roof-while historically inaccurate-one of your all time favorites? C'mon, admit it. I do.)
If you are horror movie fan and like your flicks with plenty of gore and vengeance, you will like The Hills Have Eyes. Period.
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