The Hills Have Eyes

Vanguard (I) | Release Date: July 22, 1977

6.3	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Ratings

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robertoiglesiasApr 26, 2018

Scary, disgusting, and amazing. The Hills Have Eyes is a wonderful classic that should have never been remade.

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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TheQuietGamerOct 19, 2018

A woefully unprepared suburban family makes a quick detour in Nevada to visit their family's silver mine on their way to California. Unfortunate circumstances cause them to become stranded in the desert where they are then set upon by a groupA woefully unprepared suburban family makes a quick detour in Nevada to visit their family's silver mine on their way to California. Unfortunate circumstances cause them to become stranded in the desert where they are then set upon by a group of deranged cannibals. There's a lot of buildup to the big assault which includes crucifixion, rape, and kidnapping. Until that happens it's mostly just watching the characters roam around in the dark. Something that is meant to build tension as you know the cannibals are watching from the top of the nearby hills, but I never found it to be really effective.

For me the movie didn't take off until the sun came back up and the remaining members off the Carters started fighting back with some good old-fashioned ingenuity, rage, and a pet dog truly deserving of the name "Beast." Even the rape victim doesn't waste any time curling up into a ball. A nice touch as usually these are the kinds of characters that have been written to shutdown and become burdens on the other survivors. Having Susan Lanier's "Brenda" keep going and giving her the mental fortitude to come up with the movie's best trap after what happened to her is a nice feministic touch.

One of the greatest strengths in this Wes Craven project is the setting. The arid desert scenery and backwater psychopaths make this feel like Mad Max meets The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It's got a great tone that's only slightly marred by the film's greatest weakness; goofy villains. Something I've noticed in a lot of older horror flicks with insane antagonists is that these unhinged individuals will do some really silly stuff like absurd changes in the manner of which they speak. Like going from low growls to baby talk. This might have been frightening back in the day, but it hasn't aged well. Coming off as more corny than frighteningly deranged. Whether or not this was intentional on Craven's part in an attempt to imbue the film with some dark comedy I can't say for sure. I just know that it pulled me out of the experience a bit.

While not one of the best in his catalog, The Hill Have Eyes is still a solid example of why Wes Craven is so iconic. An original idea that helped cement him as one of the greats of the genre. A good time for anyone who loves seeing victims strike back at their attackers and refusing to go down without a fight. You just have to make it through the slow first half, some annoying comedic moments with the cannibals, and be willing to accept an oddly abrupt ending.

6.5/10… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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Cuesbas247Apr 27, 2018

Me parece bastante entretenida, te mantiene en tensión constante y me encanta la trama. uno de los mejores clasicos de terror que nunca vi

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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robomartionOct 25, 2022

Totally missed potential of what was an interesting scenario. The pacing is all off, there is no arc and there is no payoff. Costumes but no characters. All the screaming makes it more comical than scary. There must have been quite a low barTotally missed potential of what was an interesting scenario. The pacing is all off, there is no arc and there is no payoff. Costumes but no characters. All the screaming makes it more comical than scary. There must have been quite a low bar for this to acquire cult status in its time. I do like the purity of it though, the actors and directors are not high on their own supply as is the case with most modern entertainment. The actors are likeable except Doug. Its not so much it is a wholly terrible film its just that I was expecting something really great and with its lack of a plot or atmosphere this film honestly is barely even worth watching.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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actiniumSep 3, 2021

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0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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BroyaxOct 26, 2018

Il y a eu un remake des décennies plus tard de ce vieux naveton qui a dépassé la date limite de consommation. Rien d'extraordinaire il me semble mais ce fut toujours mieux que l'original...

Parce qu'ici, ça pue le film à 2 balles il fautIl y a eu un remake des décennies plus tard de ce vieux naveton qui a dépassé la date limite de consommation. Rien d'extraordinaire il me semble mais ce fut toujours mieux que l'original...

Parce qu'ici, ça pue le film à 2 balles il faut bien le reconnaître... On s'en aperçoit très vite d'autant que le scénario a de graves lacunes et qu'il ne se passe presque rien... et quand il se passe éventuellement quelque chose, on lève les yeux au plafond et on se met la main sur le front voire les 2 en même temps (double facepalm comme disent les jeunes d'aujourd'hui).

On peut en rigoler mais aussi apprécier les tenues vestimentaires de l'époque, plus sexy que les sacs à patates portés par les grognasses de nos jours mais je dis ça, c'est surtout histoire de meubler comme dans le film lorsqu'on n'a ni idées ni budget.

M'enfin, j'exagère, je crois que l'idée principale est -était- intéressante, c'est juste le développement et tout le reste qui n'a pas suivi. Presque tout donc !… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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Tyrant719May 30, 2021

If it wasn’t for the completely horrible script and direction of said script, this movie would be a classic on the basis of atmosphere alone. But the choice to direct all the females and most of the males to be completely inept morons at theIf it wasn’t for the completely horrible script and direction of said script, this movie would be a classic on the basis of atmosphere alone. But the choice to direct all the females and most of the males to be completely inept morons at the hands of what are ACTUALLY supposed to inept morons is not “artistic” or “creative”. It’s clearly the result of a director ripping off Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but wanting to differentiate it enough to avoid any plagiarism. In order to do that, they make characters that are completely useless and inept, even contradictory to what the story would have you believe (A veteran cop is spooked so much by a jet that he just speeds uncontrollably with a station wagon hauling an RV trailer). It works in Nightmare on Elm Street because that’s fantasy horror; it works in Scream because that’s already a satire of those concepts that he helped to popularize to begin with. This is essentially Wes Craven ripping off Texas Chain Saw Massacre in order to get his foot into the industry and start working on the stories he wanted to make. Don’t forget, Craven has about two actually good movies. He’s not a genius and he’s not as innovative as his fans think. Even this formula wears off in the franchises where it fits. And it wears off QUICKLY; basically by the sequel, if not by the end of the first films. Wes Craven is way too worried about his premise and his main antagonist to care about the other characters of his movies. They are all just there to interact with his new, cool villains.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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akshatmahajanJun 20, 2021

The Hills Have Eyes is one of the Wes Craven's finest film. The movie is well balanced. You will never get bored whilst watching as it draws you in and won't let go. It makes you feel a lot of mixed emotions such as sadness, tension, angerThe Hills Have Eyes is one of the Wes Craven's finest film. The movie is well balanced. You will never get bored whilst watching as it draws you in and won't let go. It makes you feel a lot of mixed emotions such as sadness, tension, anger etc.

Many people complain about movie quality but it's 1977 movie and the quality totally matches with the plot of movie and helps making movie more creepy.

Overall, horror fans will surely love this movie and non-horror fans will also love it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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