The Hills Have Eyes
remake Starts with the Classic Wes Craven Story and Themes.
Although starting with the well-known themes, The
Hills Have Eyes remake adds pumped-up gore and modern horror
techniques to create a surprisingly enjoyable horror-fest.
Written
by BHM Contributor Michael Saunier March 23, 2007
Release:
2006 Directed by: Alexandre Aja Written by: Wes Craven (1977 screenplay),
Alexandre Aja (screenplay)
Starring:
Aaron Stanford as Doug Kathleen Quinlan as Ethel Carter Vinessa Shaw as Lynn Dan Byrd as Bobby Carter Tom Bower as Gas Station Attendant
Whenever I hear about Hollywood remaking movies, especially
classic horror films, I get nervous - and rightfully so. So many
remakes are nothing more than a rehash of old themes that were popular
once with hopeful filmmakers banking on the fact that they will be
popular again. Imagine my skepticism, then, when I first sat down to
watch the updated version of Wes Craven’s fantastic The
Hill Have Eyes (1977). The Hills Have Eyes
remake is an intense take on the “stranded group being
hunted” motif that is a fixture in the world of horror.
Typically when I think of people being stranded and hunted by
monsters/humans/mutants (all three of those descriptions sum up the
villains in The Hills Have Eyes remake) I
personally imagine a forest setting, or an isolated house that enables
the game of cat and mouse to translate easily to film. The interesting
thing about The Hills Have Eyes remake is that the
scenery of the film become a villain by showing looming images of the
surrounding hills that feel like they are watching every move.
The Hills Have Eyes remake has a simple story on the
surface. A family on their way to California on vacation becomes
stranded in an area that is very isolated and far from any kind of
civilization. As darkness falls a group of mutants stalk the family.
These mutants have a back-story as they are decedents of a mining
community that refused to leave the area in the 50s and 60s when
nuclear testing was scheduled in their back yards. These decedents are
twisted and mangled by radiation poisoning and have a sadistic hatred
toward “normal people”.
The
acting in The Hills Have Eyes remake
isn’t half bad. Particularly cool is the transformation of
Doug (Aaron Stanford) from a nerdy, wishy-washy, and simply boring
character to a man hell bent on revenge and saving those around him
after discovering his wife has been murdered and his infant daughter
missing.
The Hills Have Eyes remake has a decent amount of
gore and scenes designed to stun and shock. I do not become squeamish
easily, but there is one scene where the mutants sneak into the
Winnebago and assault the teenage daughter that is absolutely burned
into my memory as disturbing and potentially unnecessarily violent and
sick. Contrary to popular beliefs, I do have some standards. The only
reason I can see why a writer would include such a graphic scene
instead of implying the assault would be to make the audience:
• Despise the group of monsters
• Care about the family the monsters are preying upon,
• Destroy any sympathy we might have developed for the crazy
mutants due to their
terrible circumstances.
The
Hills Have Eyes remake has more than an
undertone of a social message. The original had villains that were the
descendents of one evil guy but the remake is a clear commentary on the
unforeseen consequences of nuclear weapons and power. Many horror movie
moral themes warn not to be a bully or else those you tease may come
back onto a train during your graduation party and kill you, or to stay
away from pre-marital sex, drinking and being obnoxious or you might
get zipped up in a sleeping bag and beat against a tree - but the
remake of The Hills Have Eyes remake has a larger
moral and social purpose in notifying us all that the victims of our
excess will come back to terrorize us when we are most vulnerable.
The
Hills Have Eyes remake will make you appreciate
Wes Craven’s creative use of setting and theme for a second
time – and respect how well his story develops with the
benefit of Aja’s pumped-up gore and modern horror-movie film
techniques. Tasteless rape scene aside, The Hills Have Eyes
remake is a good addition to the horror genre and I highly recommend
it. Now, if you will excuse me, I’m going to dispose of all
of those New Mexico quarters in my change cup. You can never be too
careful. Questions
or comments about The Hills Have Eyes remake?
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Typically when I think of people being stranded and hunted by
monsters/humans/mutants (all three of those descriptions sum up the
villains in The Hills Have Eyes remake) I
personally imagine a forest setting, or an isolated house that enables
the game of cat and mouse to translate easily to film. The interesting
thing about The Hills Have Eyes remake is that the
scenery of the film become a villain by showing looming images of the
surrounding hills that feel like they are watching every move.
