Plantiana
Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.
Cebalord
Very best movie i ever watch
Stevecorp
Don't listen to the negative reviews
nowego
A Wes Craven classic, he truly nailed the suspense and the awkward atmosphere of the beginning. Almost nothing is revealed to the viewer until the later half of the film, which greatly increases the horror of the movie as a whole.Despite the crappy cheesy costumes and really bad wigs this still manages to hold up pretty well because its all go from beginning to the end and it should have you one the edge of your seat. Basically a cast of unknowns, with Michael Berryman's performance the stand out.Along with the Elm street series it's arguably the greatest contribution from Wes Craven.This style of movie has been copied over and over since, but this one stands out from the rest for genuine horror fans.
simonconnolly72-467-863881
Shot on 16mm, tiny budget, inexperienced crew - these are the limitations that make people creative, and this is no exception.
It's standard family stranded in the middle of nowhere hunted down by crazies plot but Craven does a great job seeing as this was only his second movie.
The only reservation after all these years is that the actors playing the cannibals seem quite tame and cultured with the exception of the son "Mars" who looks totally inbred. I'd prefer to duke it out against these guys rather than the ones in the remake or the characters from wrong turn. but even so, this is from a day when things were basic, simple, and so much better
Lechuguilla
Through the first half, more or less, it held my attention. A family turns off the main highway onto a dirt road in search of a diamond mine in them thar hills. Their car breaks down, stranding them in a lonesome desert with no way to communicate their SOS. We're in daylight, to begin with. But as day turns to night, their plight turns creepy: strange noises, not knowing what's out there. Yet someone or something is watching them. This not knowing ups the suspense factor. Unfortunately ...A certain character conveys the essence of the menace; and soon thereafter we actually see the menace. What a letdown; sheer Hollywood lack of imagination. From this point on, the plot goes downhill, so to speak, as the family does battle with the villains. There's lots of yelling, screaming, shrieking, running around, and physical contact; also lots of gore.The film's first half is not a segment one should watch right before a wilderness camping trip, as it is creepy, spooky, suspenseful. Yet the second-half plot is so stupid and so Hollywood contrived, by the time the film is over, if one has the patience to sit through it, that prospective camping trip doesn't look so fearful after all.Casting is acceptable. Acting is okay, though in a horror movie like this, acting really isn't that important. Color cinematography is pretty good. Sound quality in the copy I watched seemed substandard, with the dialogue slightly muffled."The Hills Have Eyes" will appeal to horror fans, no doubt. I'm not one of them. And so for me, despite a reasonably good first half, the second half is so banal, so trite and unimaginative, the film goes in my trash file of films I wish I had never wasted time on. Score of 3.5 out of 10.
Spikeopath
After having announced himself to the horror hordes with The Last House on the Left, Craven's next horror pick would be this, The Hills Have Eyes, another slab of grit and grime. A nuclear family head across the desert in their giant trailer only to break down and find there's beasties in the hills hungry for their blood.It has become very much a popular cult pic with Craven fans, which is understandable given the brisk pacing, moments of intensity and suspense, while the allegories and messages are smartly inserted. But the low budget does affect the product, it looks cheap and renders much of the violence and sexual aspects (implied or otherwise) as being not very frightening or stomach churning. While some of the acting is very poor, further adding a cartoonish feel to what should have been a nerve shredding experience.Above average for sure, but not the masterpiece some would have you believe. 6/10
