Terry's Reviews
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The Hills Have Eyes – Special Edition Anchor Bay – 2003 Directed by Wes Craven Starring: Susan Lanier Robert Houston Martin Speer Dee Wallace Russ Grieve John Steadman Virginia Vincent James Whitworth Lance Gordon Michael Berryman Janus Blythe Cordy Clark |
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| This film is one of Wes Craven's best, and one of
the first films I remember seeing on cable in the late 70's. THE HILLS HAVE EYES is
raw with brutality that will stay with you forever. Anchor Bay proves again why they are
one of the top companies who release DVDs. This Special Edition features a beautiful print
of the film and the supplements stand out. An unsuspecting family from Cleveland (Wes Craven is from Ohio) sets out to trek across the country. They take the wrong dirt round which ends up breaking the axle on the station wagon they’re driving. Little does this innocent, country naïve family know that there is another family who surrounds them in the desert hills that likes to eat human flesh. The rest of the story is about the clash of the two families meeting and the fight to the death for survival. Wes Craven is a master at this type of story and it’s really the story rather than the style of filmmaking that captures you. Craven even admits his lack of directorial flair in his excellent audio commentary that he shares with producer Peter Locke. Wes Craven more than makes up for this lack of polish with intense violent action that is not glossed over. It’s in your face yet done with a tonality that could only be described as realistic. I’ve never forgotten what happens Bob Carter (Russ Grieve) on the cactus, the scenes with the two German Shepard dogs Beauty & The Beast and the action in the house trailer is legendary horror material. The Mojave Desert scenery combined with sparse art decoration from the late Robert (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) Burns gave this film somewhat bleak; bare bones feel that worked with the story. "Looking Back on the Hills Have Eyes" is an outstanding documentary that includes interviews with Craven, Locke, cinematographer Eric Saarinen, actors Berryman, Blythe, Houston, Lanier and Wallace. Anchor Bay spends the right amount of time letting the cast and crewmembers speak about the production aspects that were difficult, many of them are funny and will cause you to appreciate the film even more. There is another documentary about Wes Craven’s career included on this DVD, which was made with The American Film Institute from The Directors series. This is a top-flight presentation that I had already seen before but I enjoyed watching it again. Wes Craven and Peter Locke expose more stories and production information in their superb audio commentary. These two guys are not afraid to admit their faults and both have excellent recollection of what transpired when they made the film. This is the kind of thing you hope for when spending the time to listen to an audio commentary. We get to see an alternate ending, production stills and DVD-Rom features, which are excellent if you take the time to use. THE HILLS HAVE EYES is a film that has inspired numerous other filmmakers; most notably
Sam Raimi (In THE EVIL DEAD Raimi began a little game with Craven to try and top each
other) and should not be missed. Craven is the only filmmaker alive that has made a horror
film in three consecutive decades that I would consider a landmark. THE HILLS HAVE EYES is
one of those. |
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