Btexxamar I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Kodie Bird True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

gwnightscream Wes Craven's 1977 horror film tells about a family heading to California, but have car trouble somewhere in the desert. Soon, they become terrorized by a family of brutal cannibals dwelling in the hills. Dee Wallace (The Howling, E.T.) is also featured in this. This isn't bad, except for some of the acting, but I like the settings and the score is eerie. I'd check this out at least once, especially if you're a fan of the late, Craven.

meathookcinema The film itself is about a family who are travelling to California but decide to look for silver mines that are off the beaten track. The family's car and mobile home attached to it swerve off the road and the family find themselves stranded. Unfortunately they also find themselves under the unwanted gaze of a local group of mutant cannibals who have grown up in the area which is used by the Army to test nuclear capabilities. The film then develops into a battle between the All- American family and the cannibals.On watching this film again for this review the strongest feeling I got was just how outrageous the film is. It certainly goes the extra mile in terms of plot and grittiness. In fact the film goes even further than director Wes Craven's previous film Last House on the Left. At one point during Hills a baby is kidnapped by the cannibals for food. If that isn't pushing the horror envelope then I don't know what is! But whilst the film and it's plot may be extreme there is never a sense that the film is ever gratuitous or sensationalistic but still sets precedents. A good point of comparison here is with the godawful remake from 2006. In this original version of the film there is a rape scene that is signified by the eyes of the victim widening. And thats enough for the audience to know whats going on. The same sequence in the remake is much more drawn out, unnecessary and involves the victim getting her face licked by her cannibal attacker. And thats just for starters. Enough said.Speaking of Last House on the Left, the artistic leap between these two films seems huge. The Hills Have Eyes is positively polished by comparison to Last House in terms of technical ability, acting and direction. However, The Hills Have Eyes still feels gritty, subversive and downright dangerous- like watching a renowned video nasty classic for the first time. Both Last House and Hills use their low budgets feels to their advantage. It seems like Wes Craven believed that a lower budget just means you adapt to this and rise to the challenge creatively without sacrificing quality. Both films have a documentary and realistic feel to them rather than just being examples of exploitation cinema awash with bad acting.In fact, one of Hills' many strengths is the acting. As soon as you see the name Dee Wallace on a cast list you know that the film will have a certain level of prestige and integrity. She is amazing as are all of the cast. In fact there are pieces of acting within Hills that seemingly exceed the horror genre. One example of this is when Doug gets back to the mobile home to find that family members have either been raped, shot or killed. And on top of that his baby daughter has been kidnapped. His acting on seeing his dead wife is incredible and extremely poignant.The movie also made a horror icon of Michael Berryman. Even the poster for the film featuring Mr Berryman's face was iconic. Imagine seeing that poster outside a cinema in 1977. Even if you didn't know anything about the film you'd still go and see it as the poster and tagline are so brilliant. Another example of The Hills Have Eyes as a cult classic is that it is endlessly quotable. It also goes to show that they might be nuclear mutant cannibals but they have some great oneliners. 'Whats the matter? You don't like dog anymore?!'Craven has some very perceptive insights to convey regarding issues such as the family, the relationships within the family, the differences between the two families but also the less obvious similarities between them. I could go into these in much more depth along with my other theories about the film but this will be done soon in a separate article about the movie.For me, The Hills Have Eyes isn't just a stunning piece of horror cinema it feels like an innovative and genre-defining film that is just as important as The Exorcist, Halloween or Night of the Living Dead.The Hills Have Eyes will always be in my Top 10 list of favourite films.

inspectors71 This is garbage, but it's quality garbage. Just when I thought Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes is about to drift into the totally incoherent lane, he saves it by giving us something imaginative. It's the oft-told story (I threw "oft-told" in there just for the fun of it) of a well-adjusted family on the way to California for a vacation. Daddy's got a bum ticker and needs to rest. Mom warns him about said ticker. There's a couple of girls, a baby, and a son-in- law, and derned if they don't get a warning to stay on the highway, and off the moors. Wait, that's another movie.Sure enough, the Ohioan doofi get themselves stranded out there in the desert, and are almost immediately set upon by a bunch of blood- thirsty half-wits who live up in the rocks, use surplus walkie- talkies, and like to kill almost anything that has the bad fortune to wander in front of them. Craven gives you just enough information about the hill people to keep you from being totally bewildered. When you have enough 411, he starts disemboweling German Shepards, crucifying retired police detectives, and shooting mom and sis (Dee Wallace, just out of the back of the station wagon with her hubby), raping, pillaging, and kidnapping a baby for, apparently, the bad guys' holiday dinner.It's sick, twisted crap, but I kept jumping when I got something I didn't expect.I guess I should jump right now because I liked The Hills Have Eyes. I also like Mandingo, so you know I have no taste.Catch it on Flix.

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