Sadly, Director Wes Craven has recently passed on but what he left to the world is some of the best films in history and 'The Hills Have Eyes' is definitely one of them. The story concerns a family on summer vacation when they hit a snag and become lost on a desert highway. They soon discover their vehicle sabotaged and their RV being watched from the hills by a mysterious group of monstrous cannibals and the situation soon becomes a game of 'Us or Them' with a brutal and violent conclusion the family won't forget soon.
The film was made on a very small budget, and with this being a horror film I always see this as both a blessing and a curse. The film is very dirty looking, very old, and almost looks as if it were run through motor oil but at the same time, this is the charm of 70's horror and really gives it a vibe all its own. The film does start out slow, but the payoffs are well worth it with two standouts being the RV attack scene and the brutal finale. These two scenes almost make it worthwhile on their own but you also have some good performances here as well, particularly from the mutants themselves who use their acting skills rather than relying on makeup like the remake. Minimal and subtlety win the day here.
'The Hills Have Eyes' is head over heels a superior film to its 2006 remake and well worth the purchase. While I appreciate the remake on its own terms, there is no comparison. The original's lack of resources and cheaper look benefit it so much more than modern technology and special effects. Check them both out by all means, but this is the one to see first.
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