Night 12: ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ (1977)

And it’s off to the 70’s again! This time, with a horror classic I’ve heard a lot about but have never really watched before: Wes Craven’s ‘The Hills Have Eyes’.

The movie tells the story of a trip that goes terribly wrong, as a family gets stranded in the middle of the desert, and are consequently attacked by a group of savage cannibals whose sole purpose is to survive by terrorizing travelers.

The premise puts the film in the familiar categories of exploitation movies and redneck horror. It’s the ultimate fear of the happy, wealthy white American family: having to deal with situations and places that put their ‘civilized’ status and their resources to the test.

Indeed, if there’s a redeemable quality that can be appreciated in this film, is its commentary on how civilized people can and will become murderers if necessary, to ensure their own survival. The movie recognizes that instinct will trump reason and ethics whenever it’s needed. And in that sense, the white family has a lot of similarities to the groups of wild barbarian hunting them.

Unfortunately, beyond this idea, the movie is, at best, torture porn. With a galore of disturbing moments of abuse and horrible murders that are simply jarring to watch.

It also presents an uncomfortable representation of ‘good’ versus ‘evil’ that relies heavily on stereotypical characteristics, from race to socioeconomic status. Thus, our heroes are white, blond, good-looking and wealthy; while the cannibals are ethnically ambiguous, deformed and extremely poor.

Yet, we could give this a pass if the characters were, at the very least, likeable. Yet, even the ‘good guys’ are dull, visionless and stupid, which makes it even harder to root for them.

It also makes the few emotional moments just marginally successful, for the relationships between them are too superficial and the personalities too unpleasant to make them matter. It’s a huge weakness when considering that the film is relying on us cheering for the strength of the family unit against the disbandment and selfishness of the savages.

Likewise, the relationship between the old man and his now-wild, murderous son is hinted at the very beginning and then dropped altogether, never to be mentioned again. It feels like a missed opportunity that could enrich the emotional journey of the victims’ family.

In the end, ‘Hills…’ has interesting ideas and a truly horrifying concept, which, unfortunately, get a little lost due to its muddled execution.

Grade: 6/10. A single watch is enough.

Scare Factor: does being afraid about the well-being of the doggies count?

Gore/violence: a lot!

Nudity/sexual situations: some. One particularly uncomfortable-yet-not-explicit abuse scene.

Next: ‘Don’t look now’ (1973)