Now, I'm not one to doubt myself, but, is there anything I can say about Wes Craven's seminal horror classic "The Hills Have Eyes" that hasn't been said before? Probably not.
I could mention the underlying themes of humanity's breakdown under horrible circumstances. I could talk about how, in order to survive, a normal suburban family needs to become almost as evil as their mountain-dwelling, cannibal attackers.
But frankly, its been done. That, and I don't feel like thinking too much. So here's ten random thoughts on what makes "The Hills Have Eyes" awesome.
So, without further Apu, here we go;
10. The desert environment
The environment makes this movie. At it's core "The Hills Have Eyes" is a story of survival. One that's made even more harried by the formidable desert landscape the movie transpires in. Blinding sunlight and gnarly rock structures aren't often backdrops in horror movies, and in the hands of a less skilled director the desert setting could've looked downright boring with its open, sparse expanses, and bright blue skies. Somehow, however, Wes Craven makes it work, and it actually enhances the experience.
9. Dee Wallace Stone.
One of "Hills'" small pleasures; Dee Wallace's character tows the line between the spunky (and occasionally annoying) teenage Katy and the completely ineffective Ethel Carter (whose method of attack when fighting a mutant cannibal is to hit him lightly in the head with a broom). In many ways Dee Wallace's character is the most realistic one in the film; she's not jumping into action, but she's not exactly a quivering mess either. Also, she has a baby, which makes her much more of a rooting interest.
8. Brenda Marinoff
The aforementioned "occasionally annoying teenager". Brenda Marinoff's Katy Carter goes from one of the least useful characters in the film (mostly she's around to make sarcastic comments) to the rooting interest in one scene. Getting raped by a radioactive mutant might not be a great resume piece for an actress, but it made her a sympathetic character and upped the stakes even further than any number of normal murders possibly could.
7. "Hills" broke the rules before we even knew about them
Wes Craven's 1996 movie "Scream" lampooned horror movie conventions that had been in place since the early 70's, but, "The Hills Have Eyes" broke them. People had sex, and lived. Dogs died. Horrible things happened to children. Hell, even the near-elderly got offed in some terrible way. The 2007 remake might have had more gore, but the original pushed the boundaries first.
6. The old "exploding camper trick"
In one of the most coolest booby (heh, booby) traps in horror history, the surviving members of the Carter family set an ingenious trap using propane tanks, scotch tape, and a simple matchbook to kill a raging radioactive mutant by using their dead mother as bait to lure him into an (almost) deadly explosion. Sure it didn't really work, but it was a damn neat trick.
5. Michael Berryman
The by-product of two doctor parents' abuse of prescription medicine. Berryman grew up as a real-life mutant, with the inability to grow hair, fingernails, or teeth. Its really no wonder Berryman's mutant character, Pluto has become "Hills'" poster-boy.
I mean look at this:
Look I'm sure he's a great guy, but it looks like his face is melting.
4. The dog mauling
How often is it you see a dog as the hero of a horror movie? And no, your Lassie vs. Dracula fanfiction doesn't count. Dogs as villains have been done to death, but heroic canines are something new. To his credit the Carter family's dog, Beast, kills more evil mutants than any other human character. He knocks one off a cliff, brings his owners one of their CB radios, and even mauls Pluto to death. He's a credit to dog-kind everywhere. And his name isn't even in the opening credits.
3. "That's not my Bob!"
One of the most shocking moments for first time viewers of "Hills" is the death of big, bad Bob Carter. The big tough, former cop is the first guy to go out; and he goes down like a bitch, passing out from a heart attack and waking up tied to a tree and set on fire. Looking at once like Christ on a cross and a marshmallow on a stick his wife shrieks "That's not my Bob!" as he burns alive.
Hmmm, toasty.
2. Baby go bye-bye
Perhaps the most disconcerting thing in "Hills" is the theft of the Carter family baby. Sure, you can kill old people, teenagers, dogs, and everyone else, but you don't fuck with babies. "Hills" sets itself apart from the rest of the horror pack by being one of few to endanger the life of a newborn. It takes balls to do that, and it only serves to make the whole movie even more tense.
1. The Cannibal "Sermon" to a head
The one scene "Hills" is probably best remembered for is also its most butchered. Originally meant to be a gruesome scene of cannibal feasting (before the MPAA got their grubby movie-ruining hands on it) the scene where mutant-leader Mars eats the barbecued arm of Bob Carter while giving a pseudo-religious lecture to his decapitated head is "Hill's" cheesiest, but best remembered scene. I guess Bob makes good dinner, and dinner conversation.
And that's ten. And you know what? I haven't even scratched the surface of what makes this flick so good. I've taken a few surface level scenes, and cool little shit to talk about -- but there's certainly a much deeper movie here than I'm letting on to.
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