the hills have eyes 2 is a 2007 american horror film , and the sequel to the 2006 film which was a remake of the 1977 horror film .

the film follows several u.s. army national guardsmen as they fight for survival against the mutant people living in a military base in the new mexico desert .

a graphic novel titled the hills have eyes : the beginning was published by fox atomic comics to accompany the release of the film ; it was released july 3 , 2007 .

the film stars michael mcmillian , jacob vargas , flex alexander , and jessica stroup .

the hills have eyes 2

1 . the hills have eyes 2 is not to be confused with the hills have eyes part ii .
he played pluto in the 2006 version of the hills have eyes and hades in the hills have eyes 2 .
the hills have eyes 2 began filming in the summer of 2006 in ouarzazate , morocco , where the previous movie was filmed . the alternate title was the hills have eyes 2 : the hills still have eyes .
the hills have eyes 2 began filming in the summer of 2006 in ouarzazate , morocco , where the previous movie was filmed . the alternative title was the hills have eyes 2 : the hills still have eyes .
5 . the hills have eyes 2 was director martin weisz’s second feature film .
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1st song in the end credits of the movie the hills have eyes 2 . 1 : 22
14 . the hills have eyes 2 was accidentally screened to a theater full of children .
9 . the poster for the hills have eyes 2 was banned by the mpaa for depicting torture .
the total gross at the box office of the hills have eyes 2 was $ 37 . 4 million .
the hills have eyes 2 - insect eyes ( with lyrics ) by : devendra banhart . i have clips from the movie and trailers with onscreen lyrics .
the hills have eyes 2 : mutant attacks is a video starring michael mcmillian , jessica stroup , and derek mears . documentary about the mutants in the hills have eyes ii ( 2007 ) .
the hills have eyes part ii is a 1984 american horror film directed by wes craven . it is a sequel to the 1977 film the hills have eyes .
the hills have eyes 2 uncut is a awesome movie to have in my movie library . amazon video thank you ! ! ! !
if you know of a good link for the hills have eyes part 2 locations , please let us know .
' the hills have eyes 2 ' began filming in the summer of 2006 in what city in moro . . .
the hills have eyes 2 , made in 2007 , is the sequel to the 2006 horror remake the hills have eyes . the original the hills have eyes , made in 1977 , was written and directed by horror master wes craven . craven went on to write and direct a sequel to the original in 1984 called the hills have eyes part ii . while the original and remake versions of the hills have eyes share storylines , the plots of their respective sequels do not .
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this article is about the sequel to the original 1977 film . for the sequel to the 2006 remake , see the hills have eyes 2 .
bso las colinas tienen ojos ( the hills have eyes score ) - 15 . breakfast time
[ 3 ] the hills have eyes user reviews , accessed april 29 , 2014 . urltoken
“the hills have eyes 2 doesn’t really have anything new or innovative to offer . you’re probably better off re - watching the original or another horror film altogether .
the hills have eyes 2 offers another round of dull , gory fright scenes that neither push the horror envelope nor exhibit any noticeable ingenuity .
12 . michael bailey smith played the main villain in both the hills have eyes and its sequel .
the hills have eyes 2 is a 2007 american horror film , and the sequel to the 2006 film the hills have eyes which was a remake of the 1977 horror film the hills have eyes . the film follows several heroic , but troubled , u . s . national guardsmen as they fight for survival against the mutant people living in a military base in new mexico . the hills have eyes 2 was directed by german film director martin weisz and written by father and son team wes and jonathan craven .
[ 1 ] roger ebert , reviews : the hills have eyes , march 9 , 2006 . urltoken
hills have eyes part ii ( the ) aka the hills have eyes part 2 [ blu - ray ] blu - ray all - united kingdom - odeon entertainment review written by and copyright : james - masaki ryan ( 7th february 2016 ) .
13 . michael berryman , who played the main mutant villain in the 1977 original , was slated to appear as a mutant in the hills have eyes 2 .
written and produced by horror meister wes craven , director of the original hills have eyes , as well as classics a nightmare on elm street and scream , the hills have eyes 2 takes us back to the barren lands of cannibalistic terror for a second helping .
the hills have eyes 2 was released in theatres on march 23 , 2007 . the film was released on dvd on july 17 , 2007 , by 20th century fox home entertainment . the hills have eyes 2 also grossed over $ 30 million in domestic dvd sales , for a total of $ 67 , 915 , 885 .
this version of “the hills have eyes 2” is unrated . the theatrical version is rated r for prolonged sequences of strong gruesome horror violence and gore , a rape and language .
the hills have eyes 2 - the album features the exclusive ' hills have eyes ' theme song from loudlion ( members of the donnas , rooney and andrew wk ) , as well as killer tracks from atreyu , as i lay dying , the dillinger escape plan , walls of jericho , shadows fall and many more .
to just another teenagers - in - trouble horror dud . the man who gave us the hills have eyes and a nightmare on elm street should have done better .
the hills have eyes : the beginning , produced alongside the film , serves as a prequel to 2006’s the hills have eyes . it chronicles the way the government kicked people off their land to conduct nuclear bomb tests , which then caused grotesque mutations in the people who stayed behind .
spine - tingling photographs reveal the abandoned gas station from horror film the hills have eyes standing unchanged in the middle of a moroccan highway .
action cue attack ( 2m04 ) from the hills have eyes 2 recording sessions is a nice effort in action / horror score from composer trevor morris . ( source used : recording sessions )
when it comes to true horror , the hills have eyes series is hard to top . let’s take a deeper look at the sequel to the 2006 remake .
this week ' s round of new movie release information contains release dates for hills have eyes ii , pathfinder , lucky you and more .
it is not faulty logic that derails
the hills have eyes ,
however , but faulty drama . the movie is a one - trick pony . we have the eaters and the eatees , and they will follow their destinies until some kind of desperate denouement , possibly followed by a final shot showing that it ' s not really over , and there will be a
the hills have eyes ii .
of course , there was already
the hills have eyes ii
( 1985 ) , but then again there was
the hills have eyes
( 1977 ) and that didn ' t stop them . maybe this will . isn ' t it pretty to think so .
craven originally looked at michael j . bassett , the director of deathwatch , to take over the directing role , but ultimately chose martin weisz after scheduling conflicts with bassett . the hills have eyes 2 had a budget of $ 15 million .
with the headline : forget the eyes . the teeth and tongues are worse .
in the uk , anchor bay released the film as an individual release as well as in a box set with the first film and the hills have eyes iii , presenting the film in widescreen .
as a mirror to the low - fi , sci - fi hero journey of star wars , however , the hills have eyes is the far less damaging to its respective genre .
it would probably have been better if they didn ' t have the stupid mutants in the movie . the mutants looked dumb
i was a member of the morongo valley volunteer fire department when hills have eyes 2 was filmed , they used the department as a back up for their pyro technics . the movie was filmed near pioneer town in san bernadino , county calif . [ thanks to randy logan ]
norwegian anders jacobsen won the 2007 four hills tournament in ski jumping . how many previous four hills tournaments were won by norwegian jumpers ?
language : english ( dolby digital 5 . 1 ) , french ( dolby digital 2 . 0 surround ) , spanish ( dolby digital 2 . 0 surround )
2 . it was steven spielberg’s secretary who discovered richard matheson ' s story .
nicotero not only worked on the 2006 version of the hills have eyes , but won an oscar in 2006 for achievement in makeup for the chronicles of narnia : the lion , the witch and the wardrobe and went on to supervise the zombie effects for the television show the walking dead .
review : it ' s hard to believe that the same man who wrote and directed one of the best horror films of the 1970s , the hills have eyes ( 1978 ) , could have pulled the same duty on the sequel and come up with a film as shockingly bad as this . eight years after the firs… ( more )
according to writer / director wes craven , the hills have eyes was inspired by the story of sawney bean , the head of a wild scottish clan who murdered and cannibalized numerous people during the middle ages . craven heard the story of the bean clan , and noted that the road near where they lived was believed to be haunted because people kept disappearing while traveling on it . he adapted the story to instead be about a group of wild people in the american west , and the hills have eyes was born .
in 1 . 78 : 1 , in 1080i50hz , in english lpcm 2 . 0 stereo
better soundtracks than films , pt . 2 : re - vised ! by d . jkruliq
it ' s hard to believe that the same man who wrote and directed one of the best horror films of the 1970s , the hills have eyes ( 1978 ) , could have pulled the same duty on the sequel and come up with a film as shockingly bad as this . eight years after the first film ' s events , ruby ( janus
there was little reason to make a sequel to the hills have eyes , and the only interesting aspect of this film is to see how bobby , ruby , and pluto have dealt with the events of the original . unfortunately , ruby ' s role is little more than a cameo and pluto is dispatched after uttering just a few
the hills have eyes 2 received mostly negative reviews , garnering a 11 % freshness rating from review aggregator rotten tomatoes . [ 3 ] it grossed $ 37 , 405 , 247 worldwide . [ 4 ] the film also grossed over $ 30 million in domestic dvd sales , for a total of $ 67 , 915 , 885 . [ 5 ]
this is just a short vid of our trip last year to the hills have eyes part two filming locations . it was amazing how small the area is that they used , since it looked like miles and miles or desert on film . . .
the 2 candles on the table are far apart , then much closer together . in the next shot , there are 4 candles .
“the hills have eyes 2” is rated r ( under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian ) . it includes profanity , graphic gunplay , rapes , dripping brain matter , lopped - off limbs , a french kiss by a mutant tongue , gynecological close - ups of a mutant birth and enough drool to fill shamu’s tank at sea world .
the only thing the lowly hills 2 has going for it is the grossness , ferocity , and superhuman strength of the rampaging mutants . i mean , these guys put the ugh in ugly ; they make the original ' s michael berryman look like a hunk .
development of her character occurs . director craven was unhappy with the film . the producers ran out of money and promised craven could shoot additional scenes when more funds were raised ( this was also how the hills have eyes was made ) , then changed their minds and released the film as it was .
' most of the paint is peeled and they have attempted to renew some parts .
because the budget was small , production on the hills have eyes often meant taking risks . actors performed stunts themselves , sometimes putting themselves in harm’s way . for the scene in which brenda ( susan lanier ) and bobby ( robert houston ) set a trap to kill papa jupiter by blowing up the trailer , the crew members who set the explosion actually couldn’t tell craven whether it was safe to have the actors in the foreground of the shot .
as a joking response to the scene , raimi put a ripped poster for the hills have eyes in his now - classic film the evil dead ( 1981 ) . not to be outdone , craven responded by including a clip from the evil dead in his classic a nightmare on elm street ( 1984 ) .
choose 1 of 2 free * posters with ticket purchase ( * shipping & handling not included ) . buy tickets
reading j , elias b , mcdonald g . early onset of type 2 diabetes among first nations in canada .
this movie i thought was more entertaining than the original . it just has more places to go than the first one . the characters are better and funny also . this is one of wes craven ' s most underrated movies . i give the hills have eyes part ii * * * out of * * * *
produced on a tight budget , under sometimes grueling conditions , the hills have eyes cemented craven as one of hollywood’s great horror masters . the film was released 40 years ago today , and it’s just as brutal as ever . so let’s look back on its unflinching terror with 11 facts about the film’s production .
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it ' s hard to believe that the same man who wrote and directed one of the best horror films of the 1970s , the hills have eyes ( 1978 ) , could have pulled the same duty on the sequel and come up with a film as shockingly bad as this . eight years after the first film ' s events , ruby ( janus blythe ) , who has now been integrated into normal society and is running . . . read more
this movie is a continuation of sorts of the first remade hills have eyes except this time it ' s national guardsman who cross the desert mutants path and pay the price for it . as a lover of horror movies i thought this movie was every bit as good as the first remake because you get to see more into the mutants lives .
out of every readable review , user iammensa’s review was the only one review that mentions nuclear testing , and their impact on humans . the user’s mention of nuclear testing , however , is that it should be performed on people who enjoyed the hills have eyes . when the remaining reviewers consider the film , there is no consideration of nuclear testing or nuclear warfare . the closest review to any consideration of nuclear topics after iammensa’s review is from ven - wede ( rating : 2 ) :
the users of metacritic . com , a website used to quantify movie and video game review , have given the hills have eyes a collective rating of 6 . 1 , meaning the film has generally positive reviews from the website’s users . to date , there have been 100 positive reviews , 10 mixed reviews , and 38 negative reviews from users that constitute this score . the method of rating is a 0 - 10 numerical rating scale , paired with a section for written arguments and opinions of the film . fifteen ratings out of the 138 total rating on the user reviews page have written arguments to support their ratings . [ 3 ]
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other info : widescreen ( 2 . 35 : 1 ) dolby digital 5 . 1 surround sound running time : 90 minutes
to watch full episodes , you must have a cable provider that supports ifc ' s full episode service and you must have ifc as part of your cable package .
the hills have eyes 2 : mutant attacks ( 2007 ) * * * ( out of 4 ) decent behind - the - scenes promotional piece takes a look at the mutants in the hills have eyes 2 . writers wes and jonathan craven are joined by directed martin weisz and various other members of the cast and crew as they discuss all the work that went into bringing the killers to life for this sequel . we start off talking about the various types of looks that they wanted the mutants to have and then we interview those people who actually make the make - up . from here we hear from the actors who talk about how hard the process was and of course we see how the make - up is applied . fans of make - up are really going to enjoy this featurette as it gives one a great idea of the type of stuff being used today . the short also features interviews with a large portion of the cast and crew so you get a good idea of the team work that goes on behind - the - scenes . the best part of the short is the various footage that was shot behind - the - scenes because it gives you a look at everything that goes on to make an effect work .
roger ebert hated the hills have eyes . on his website , the film is given one - and - a - half stars . in his review , ebert specifically summarizes the film in relation to its nuclear content . first , when he describes the carter family , he exposes the absurdity of the setting the carter family travels through : “they have hitched up an airstream and are on a jolly family vacation through the test zones where 331 atmospheric nuclear tests took place in the 1950s and 1960s . ” [ 1 ] as discussed in “the historical context of the hills have eyes” , this is a patently false situation . ebert criticizes not only the falsehood of the situation , but its absurdity . in his critical perspective , how could bad things not happen in a setting like this ? ebert also laments over the lack of character development of the mutants in the film , who he describes as being “simply engines of destruction . ” [ 2 ] ebert’s criticism of character in the film is based on his favorable review of another horror film that actively works to develop the “degenerate redneck” characters . considering his criticism in the scope of nuclear horror , the mutants as “engines of destruction” criticism can be viewed as beneficial to the film . if they are engines of destruction , then they are metaphors for nuclear weapons . the nukes have left the hills , but their legacy remains as the cruelty of nuclear testing incarnate .
10 . spielberg has revisited duel more than once—and people have stolen from him , too .
while celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary , a couple are caravanning through the desert with their 3 children , son in law and their baby granddaughter . while the rest of the family agrees there are plenty of better and more appropriate things to do to celebrate an anniversary , they make do with what they have , but things take a turn after a sketchy gas station attendant informs them about a
short cut
that will take them in between a series of hills in the desert . it doesn ' t take too long before they realise they ' re not alone and the hills indeed do have eyes .
which have some great scare scenes , but her blindness doesn’t cause many problems or have any particular point . as to pad out the characters in diversity , there is the black boyfriend / girlfriend couple foster ( played by
but now , let’s take a moment to look back at some of the new classics fred and carrie have so thoughtfully bestowed upon us . ( we’ll be looking back through tear - blurred eyes , but you do you . )
. . . could have been more than a pale shadow of the original if the filmmakers had taken their time . . .
open to ridicule . . . the hills have eyes 2 . they ' ve also got one hell of a cheek , forcing this nonsense on us again : a sequel to last year ' s remake of the 1978 wes craven original . once again , we are out in the middle of nowhere . it ' s an eerie , isolated stretch of new mexico desert where nuclear testing half a century ago created a feral gang of mutant hillbillies hiding out in their own underground network of tunnels , killing innocent incomers and raping the womenfolk to perpetuate their deplorable race .
the hills have eyes is admired by fellow horror filmmakers , so much so that one of them— evil dead director sam raimi—chose to pay homage to it in a strange way . in the scene in which brenda is quivering in bed after having been brutalized by pluto and mars , a ripped poster for steven spielberg’s jaws is visible above her head . raimi saw it as a message .
fantastically gory sequel to the brilliant hills have eyes . the film keeps the fate of the carter family a mystery , in order to create suspense . first a science team disappears in section 16 , the area of the new mexico desert were the mutants live , the government still denies the place or the people exist , then a group of national guard trainees are sent to deliver supplies to the team but they have disappeared and the trainee ' s are forced to think on their feet as they are thrown into a life or death situation , they soon discover that the mutants need the female trainees , in order to use them as breeders to keep the mutant population afloat , the women as you can imagine dont have a choice ! with graphic scenes of rape , torture , mutilation and murder , this film is not for the faint of heart ! !
in 1977 wes craven first introduced us to papa jupiter’s family . the hills have eyes is a classic horror tale of a family trapped in the nevada desert and terrorized by a family of inbred mutants living in mountains . the film was then remade in 2006 with the inbreed mutants having been exposed to radiation via government testing . craven’s original nightmarish family outing and the remake both still terrify audiences today , and the story was actually inspired by the legendary story of alexander “sawney” bean .
the cannibalistic mutants in the hills have eyes movies reside in an arid , uninhabitable piece of desert terrain in new mexico , where they feast on wayward travelers , partly for revenge and partly for survival . yet as wes craven ' s original has been spun into sequels , remakes , and sequels to remakes , the revenge part hasn ' t been mapped out clearly , and that may be the films ' greatest undoing . it ' s important to remember that these mutants were ordinary people transformed by nuclear testing , and that they ' re victims , too , with good reason to work out their frustrations on the rest of humanity . the premise for the hills have eyes 2 , the quickie follow - up to alexandre aja ' s skillful but gratuitous 2006 remake of craven ' s original , seems like a perfect opportunity to give the mutants their due , since it deploys a group of military people back to the scene of the crime . and yet it stupidly does the opposite , reducing the mutants to mine - dwelling freaks who murder and rape because , well , that ' s what they do .
the remaining reviews lament or celebrate the graphic violence and eerie setting of the film . the reviews show a disconnection from awareness or engagement nuclear testing . the entire premise of the film is impossible without the ambiguous nuclear testing and assumed 1 , 300 square mile zone of fallout it created . the mutants would not be mutants without the nuclear tests , and the audience of metacritic is keenly unaware or uncaring about this . the lack of critical thinking in these reviews shows the casualty of nuclear awareness in these reviews , such that even in a simple and comprehensible film like the hills have eyes , the audience of the film is unable to consider the deeper significance of the film .
—age - and gender - specific and age - adjusted prevalence ( % ) of type 2 diabetes mellitus among first nations and inuit people and the canadian population as a whole .
i received some apppalled feedback when i praised rob zombie ' s
the devil ' s rejects
( 2005 ) , but i admired two things about it : ( 1 ) it desired to entertain and not merely to sicken , and ( 2 ) its depraved killers were individuals with personalities , histories and motives .
the hills have eyes
finds an intriguing setting in
typical
fake towns built by the government , populated by mannequins and intended to be destroyed by nuclear blasts . but its mutants are simply engines of destruction . there is a misshapen creature who coordinates attacks with a walkie - talkie ; i would have liked to know more about him , but no luck .
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the hills have eyes is the post - cold war film considered in this blog , and the specific consideration i give to the reception of the film is how the internet and technology influence and represent its reception . the relevance of the internet exploded rapidly after the end of the cold war , and has defined the growth of my generation . in order to maintain the theme of nuclear horror in the discussion of the film’s reception , i relate the late roger ebert’s review of the film to the popular responses to the film on the website metacritic . com . roger ebert’s criticism of the film shows a keen awareness toward its nuclear horror , and why it is dishonest . the reviews of metacritic users show a profound lack of awareness or care about the representation of nuclear testing in the film , and focus their criticism on the physical violence of the film .
“the hills have eyes 2” the cannibalistic mutants live on in this sequel to the remake of wes craven’s 1970s horror tale about a family whose road trip turns into a bloody nightmare . this time , a group of national guard soldiers on assignment in the desert picks up a distress signal and mounts a rescue mission , only to become lunch meat for the ravenous creatures that crave human flesh . the movie is available in the r - rated theatrical version or a more graphic unrated edition . the dvd includes a fox movie channel segment on craven , who wrote the screenplay for the new movie with his son . the disc also features deleted scenes and an alternate ending , plus three background featurettes . dvd , $ 29 . 98 . ( 20th century fox )
certainly keeps your interest , but characters do the usual stupid things you have come to expect in this type of horror movie .
motion picture artwork , photos and fox trademarks and logos ™ and © 2007 twentieth century fox film corporation . this compilation ℗ & © 2007 sall entertainment group , inc . sticker on shrink - wrap states :
the metal album of the year ! ! ! featuring atreyu , dillinger escape plan , shadows fall , as i lay dying . plus the exclusive
the hills have eyes theme
by loudlion and more ! ! ! bpf - 1026
.
young tk , reading j , elias b , o’neil j . ( 2000 ) type 2 diabetes mellitus in canada’s first nations : status of an epidemic in progress .
frightfest glasgow 2013 - day two 4th mar 13 dumb movies are a lot easier to have fun with when they drop the rape .
from the dizzyingly psychedelic “ stargate sequence ” to the strange hotel room and the appearance of the nebulous star baby , 2001 signs off with far more questions than answers—questions that have been discussed and dissected for 50 years . but now we might have a concrete explanation of just what was going on from kubrick himself .
writer wes craven ' s initial inspiration for the film came during a casual conversation with producer peter locke . craven envisioned that the previous film ' s character , brenda ( emilie de ravin ) , traumatized by her suffering during the events of the hills have eyes , joins the national guard to overcome her fears . barely finished with basic training , brenda receives a call from her sergeant , who explains that they are sending a team back to the new mexico desert to eradicate the remaining mutants . her sergeant and the team need her , for she is the only one left alive who knows the mutants ' location . because of de ravin ' s involvement in the television show lost , her schedule was unable to accommodate the filming of the sequel . wes craven replaced her character , but retained much of the original concept , including the group of national guard soldiers in training . [ 2 ]
, with the use of violence , torture , and sexuality on film . craven’s name was not exactly on the a - list as his 2 most famous films were more infamous for controversy and his subsequent films such as
despite the poor quality of the film , there is a decent number of bonus features here . kicking things off are the deleted scenes . one scene features more jokes with the lisping “spitter” . another scene shows the soldiers debating leaving their comrades . but more interesting is the alternate ending . in it , the lone benevolent mutant turns on our survivors , thus leaving the film on a more ominous note . next up is an amusing gag reel . it’s your standard offering of flubbed lines and clowning around . “mutant attacks” highlights the story of the mutants , their makeup , personalities , and more . “birth of a graphic novel” goes in - depth into the creation of the prequel graphic novel . fans of comics and jimmy palmiotti will want to check it out . “exploring the hills : the making of the hills have eyes 2” is your standard “making of” video . rounding things out is “fox movie channel presents : life after film school with wes craven” . three film students ask stupid questions of wes craven and he gives them appropriately sarcastic answers .
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after her husband dies of mysterious circumstances , a widow becomes increasingly paranoid of the neighboring religious community that may have diabolical plans for her .
- in listening to the cast talk you have to wonder if they knew how daft they were sounding when recounting their experiences on set .
on the way to california , a family has the misfortune to have their car break down in an area closed to the public , and inhabited by violent savages ready to attack .
around the globe endure profound disparities in health . in developed countries , the health profile of indigenous peoples is most commonly associated with noncommunicable chronic diseases and lifestyle - related health issues such as type 2 diabetes mellitus ( figure 1
no . it does not . they take the fatal detour , and find themselves the prey of demented mutant incestuous cannibalistic gnashing slobberers , who carry pickaxes the way other people carry umbrellas . they occupy junkyards , towns made entirely of wax , nuclear waste zones and motel hell (
it takes all kinds of critters to make farmer vincent ' s fritters
) . that is the destiny that befalls a vacationing family in
the hills have eyes ,
which is a very loose remake of wes craven ' s 1977 movie of the same name .
the bold credits above the line are the
above - the - line
credits , the other the
below - the - line
credits .
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directed by music - video veteran martin weisz—in the future , can producers please look elsewhere for talent ? — the hills have eyes 2 assembles the most motley group of incompetents this side of a police academy movie , yet somehow misses the laughs . but humorlessness is probably the least of the film ' s problems , lagging behind amateur - night performances from the no - name cast , a homogenous visual palette ( and from a music - video director , no less ! ) , and lots of pointless sadism . like the aja remake , the film puts a heavy emphasis on disgusting makeup effects and visceral action sequences ; whole characters are defined with less detail than the mutants ' unkempt toenails . the mutants may or may not live to kill again , but at this point , these fussed - over grotesques are better suited to wax museums than movie theaters .
to respect aboriginal cultures . maintain open , 2 - way communication with cihr to influence policy development on ethical standards , peer review processes , and knowledge translation systems that respect aboriginal cultures .
for the rest of the characters , none of them particularly have much to keep them memorable . the boyfriend / girlfriend roy and cass are ones that stand out , with roy ( played by
urltoken it ' s simply impossible to dive in and watch the hills have eyes 2 without knowing exactly what it is that your getting yourself into . i watched it wanting nothing more than a good , solid , dumb , stylish , well - crafted exploitation bloodbath . plus i ' m a huge fan of wes craven , and the idea he was writing the sequel to the remake as opposed to sitting on the sidelines and producing made me think that this was going to be even better than i first anticipated . the fact of the matter is , it ' s not very good . a year before this was released alexandre aja ' s 2006 remake at first impact devided critics and audiences , however i personally had a differing opinion , i found it to be atmospheric and captured the landscapes in the same way craven ' s original did , but brought quicker pacing to the table and an exceeding amount of barf - disgusting gore that before the series had lacked . i for one have no problems with cash cow sequels that are terribly unoriginal , as long as they are either equally as good as their predecessors or better . but this remake sequel is predictably dissapointing , the fact it lacks the visual style of the remake , the atmospherics of the original , and also it ' s character profoundness , pretty much leaves you with nothing other than over the top gore . this isn ' t aja ' s the hills have eyes , or even the original in which craven took the directing chair , it ' s just proof of the depressingly low standard that horror movies have tragically succumb to in recent years . it ' s not terrible by quite some distance , it works hard to make sure that the deaths are as gory , bloody and revolting as inhumanly possible , but the problem is , it isn ' t scary , and i never winced once .
this time round there is no american family turning feral to combat new mexico desert dwelling cannibal mutant attackers , but instead wet - behind - the - ears national guard trainees who have popped by to drop off equipment to a group of atomic scientists who just happen to have gone missing .
on this occasion our dribbling mutant friends , who seem very angry much of the time , have taken to nabbing women and forcibly impregnating them to ensure the survival of their clan .
– this feature reveals the thought process behind the monsters’ make - up and character development . people that have seen the film might be genuinely shocked to discover that any thought had gone into it at all .
the movie opens in the new mexico desert , with the mutants from the first film having captured a woman who is being forced to breed mutant children . as soon as she has given birth , papa hades ( michael bailey smith ) smashes her head in with a rock , killing her . nearby , a group of scientists working in the desert hills are attacked by letch ( jason oettle ) . it is also hinted at the beginning of the film that the surviving members of the carter family from the first film were not killed by papa hades ' mutant clan and managed to escape the hills .
wes craven’s 1977 film , “the hills have eyes , ” in which suburbanites battled mutant cannibals , was a pulpy parable of the thin line separating civilization from savagery . last year’s remake was basically the same movie with glossier production values and a less satirical , more bludgeoning approach to violence . this follow - up — in which national guard trainees are trapped on a former atomic test site and are stalked by flesh - eating freaks headquartered in a warrenlike mountain hideout — is essentially a catalog of transgressive images , lighted and edited like a heavy - metal video .
writer wes craven ' s initial inspiration for the film came during a casual conversation with producer peter locke . craven envisioned that the previous film ' s character , brenda ( emilie de ravin ) , traumatized by her suffering during the events of the hills have eyes , joins the national guard to overcome her fears . barely finished with basic training , brenda receives a call from her sergeant , who explains that they are sending a team back to the new mexico desert to eradicate the remaining mutants . her sergeant and the team need her , for she is the only one left alive who knows the mutants ' location . because of de ravin ' s involvement in the television show lost , her schedule was unable to accommodate the filming of the sequel . wes craven replaced her character , but retained much of the original concept , including the group of national guard soldiers in training .
the prop recreators at chronicle collectibles have collaborated with universal studios to make the canisters as faithful to the original as possible . just like the prop used in the film , the vessel resembles an unassuming can of shaving cream from the outside . but screw off the bottom and you ' ll find a secret compartment filled with vials the perfect size for storing prehistoric genetic material .
in a video posted to the eyes on cinema youtube page , as discovered by io9 , we see footage of filmmaker jun’ichi yaoi on the telephone in 1980 , with someone who is purported to be kubrick . this was all during yaoi’s documentary on the paranormal , so a natural interview subject would have been kubrick , who was making the shining at the time . during the interview , though , yaoi asks the director what exactly happens at the end of 2001 , to which kubrick gives a full explanation , as transcribed by io9 :
“i took it to mean that wes craven … was saying ‘ jaws was just pop horror . what i have here is real horror . ’”
as mentioned the start is strong acting and truly horrifying for a horror film , but blood and needless gore replace where there could have been more dramatic humanity and thrills .
stanley kubrick’s 2001 : a space odyssey is rightfully hailed as a milestone in science fiction filmmaking , but even its most ardent fans would have a tough time explaining the final scenes of the movie .
' the big pole was relocated at the other side of the gas station .
critic matt seitz of the new york times wrote in his review :
wes craven’s 1977 film , the hills have eyes , in which suburbanites battled mutant cannibals , was a pulpy parable of the thin line separating civilization from savagery . last year’s remake was basically the same movie with glossier production values and a less satirical , more bludgeoning approach to violence . this follow - up — in which national guard trainees are trapped on a former atomic test site and are stalked by flesh - eating freaks headquartered in a warrenlike mountain hideout — is essentially a catalog of transgressive images , lighted and edited like a heavy - metal video .
“national guard soldiers stop at a new mexican outpost only to find the isolated camp mysteriously deserted . little do they know that these are the very hills that the ill - fated carter family once visited , and that a tribe of cannibalistic mutants lies in wait . ”
nobody in this movie has ever seen a dead teenager movie , and so they don ' t know ( 1 ) you never go off alone , ( 2 ) you especially never go off alone at night , and ( 3 ) you never follow your dog when it races off barking insanely , because you have more sense than the dog . it is also possibly not a good idea to walk back to the wrong gas station to get help from the degenerate who sent you on the detour in the first place .
after a teenager has a terrifying vision of him and his friends dying in a plane crash , he prevents the accident only to have death hunt them down , one by one .
on the disc . the same master for the film was used on the us kino lorber blu - ray .
each location will have it ' s own page with then / now pictures , maps , streetview , discovery story and the most detailed explanations on how the location was used . most importantly , the locations will have a status that shows whether they are verified correct and by whom . we are working with the actual locations managers or other crew where possible . the whole thing will be very interactive and you will , of course , be able to update everything .
the us blu - ray from kino lorber does not have the above featurette but instead has a photo gallery in hd and a theatrical trailer in hd . extras on the uk odeon release and the us kino lorber releases are quite paltry compared to many other wes craven directed discs . it would have been nice to hear craven speak of the film in some way ( before he passed away last year ) , or some interviews from the actors especially michael berryman . it should be noted on the arrow uk blu - ray of
in the past and in the present , research studies and media reports have focused on pathology and dysfunction in aboriginal communities and have often failed to present a true and complete picture of the aboriginal experience . the canadian institutes of health research institute of aboriginal peoples’ health is a national strategic research initiative led by both the aboriginal and research communities . this initiative aims to improve aboriginal health information , develop research capacity , better translate research into practice , and inform public health policy with the goal of improving the health of indigenous peoples .
as the truck rams the car over the cliff and falls off in the final film , there is a low roar sound effect that the filmmaker included to emphasize the death of the truck . spielberg , who wanted the truck to seem
when their transfer bus crashes in a west virginia forest , a group of convicts and a corrections officer meet a rafter who is on the run from cannibalistic hillbillies who have murdered her friends .
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the hills have eyes i to me was totally unrealistic and quite over dramatic , there was no part what made me feel safe whatsoever . however , i decided to buy the movie box set anyway as it was £4 . 29 on play . com , i watched the first entry and i thought it was disturbing , i gave the second one ago , even after reading the consumer advice of very strong bloody violence , horror and sexual violence . i must admit , this entry was much worse with the rape and the sex etc . but it was definitely the best out of the two . this is how horror films should be . disturbing and slightly unrealistic . it was brilliant . me and my friend think it is the most disturbing horror film we ' ve ever seen and the best . at times it gave me a chuckle with the mutants lusting etc . but the rape was realistic and what unfortunately happens in reality today . greatly written , amazing film
as part of a routine mission , a unit of national guard soldiers stop at a new mexican outpost only to find the isolated research camp mysteriously deserted . after spotting a distress signal in a distant mountain range , the team decides to commence a search and rescue mission into the hills . little do they know that these are the very hills that the ill - fated carter family once visited , and that a tribe of cannibalistic mutants lies in wait . and this time , there is an even larger force of evil at work that is intent on the soldiers ' very destruction .
after the carters turn down the wrong road , they ' re fair game for the people who are the eyes of the hills . these are descendants of miners who refused to leave their homes when the government ordered them away from the testing grounds . they hid in mines , drank radioactive water , reproduced with their damaged dna , and brought forth mutants , who live by eating trapped tourists . there is an old bomb crater filled with the abandoned cars and trucks of their countless victims . it is curiously touching , in the middle of this polluted wasteland , to see a car that was towing a boat that still has its outboard motor attached . no one has explained what the boat was seeking at that altitude .
six wide releases in a single weekend appears to have been at least three too many as most struggled at the box office . on the other hand , with so many new films opening and so many different demographics being targeted , it was a good week at the box office overall with receipts hitting $ 133 million , up 14 % from last week and 22 % from last year . year - to - date revenue has already hit $ 2 billion and is clocking in at nearly 6 % higher than last year ' s pace . more importantly , the number of big hits is increasing interest , and that can have a positive effect on future earnings . i feel confident in saying records will fall this year .


hellions is a 2015 canadian horror film directed by bruce mcdonald , written by pascal trottier and starring chloe rose .

the film was an official selection of the 2015 sundance film festival lineup and also screened at the 2015 toronto international film festival .

hellions ( film )

hellions
by shannon straney from albany , n . y . - a documentary on the troy hellions roller derby team in troy .
browse through all our coverage of the 2015 sundance film festival by clicking here .
no animals or demons were harmed during the making of this film .
see all of our toronto international film festival coverage , on our tiff archive .
last year , aaron paul had a movie at sundance called hellion . i never saw it , but i assume hellions is the sequel because that’s the rules . when you pluralize the title , it’s the sequel in which there are even more hellions than the first film !
other intriguing vanguard selections include the canadian premiere of bruce mcdonald’s new horror film hellions , the body horror fantasy film evolution directed by lucile hadžihalilovic , and february from writer - director osgood perkins who is also the writer of midnight madness selection the girl in the photographs .
hellions
is art book horror , something to flip through but never truly eerie or scary .
hellions is a bigger halloween bust than the house that gives out dental floss to trick ' r treaters .
reviewed online , washington d . c . , sept . 3 , 2015 . ( in toronto film festival — vanguard ; sundance film festival — park city at midnight . ) running time : 82 min .
the film , with a screenplay by pascal trottier , stars chloe rose , robert patrick , rossif sutherland , rachel wilson , peter dacunha and luke bilyk . the film was produced by frank siracusa and paul lenart .
new this year is the festival ' s expansion to troy with a screening at the arts center this friday night . among the films lined up for that screening : hellions , a documentary by shannon straney about the hellions of troy roller derby team .
however , there ' s something to be said about a relatively small - scale picture whose creators embrace its limitations . the experimental dream sequences and hallucinations that make
hellions
a mcdonald movie also make the film a perfect , light
, go for it . this may sound like nostalgic hyperbole , but they really don ' t make small - scale movies like
hellions
much any more . it ' s not without its shortcomings , but
hellions
gets the job done .
will have its canadian premiere at the 40th anniversary of the toronto internation film festival in the fest’s vanguard section .
back in march we told you that ifc midnight acquired u . s . rights to pontypool director bruce mcdonald’s hellions ( read our review ) , which made its world premiere in the “park city at midnight” section of the 2015 sundance film festival .
however you slice it , the eagle is hokum , but modern - day scots may get a kick out of the film ' s depiction of their ancestors as mud - caked hellions . modern - day romans will have to settle for less .
culture crypt looks at a few fantasia film festival features shaping up to be hot topics among horror fans in 2018 .
hellions is scary and nails the halloween vibe . remember this title – when october 2016 rolls around you’ll want to give it a watch .
the blu - ray release of hellions was called a
must - add
to everybody ' s october watch list by bloody disgusting .
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disappointingly hellions lacks substance , its visuals are too bland and the storytelling techniques are just as plain . by the time the climax came around and the end credits began to roll , i was left feeling resentfully empty as i was expecting much more from the film .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
ultimately hellions is a fraction of a film that goes absolutely nowhere . there are some solid visuals and mildly interesting plot points peppered throughout , but all are rendered meaningless thanks to mcdonald’s extremely heavy - handed use off genre iconography , and his exceedingly confusing and trippy execution .
hello , i ' m one of the few people that enjoyed bruce mcdonald ' s hellions . . . actually , i kind of loved it .
still , dora ' s visions of pumpkin patch ghouls and trippy conversations with an alien - sounding interlocutor who keeps urging her to give
blood for baby
aren ' t specific enough . this robs
hellions
of specificity , making the best parts of the film feel like an accomplished genre exercise for mcdonald , who has delayed his proposed sequel to brainy zombie film
pontypool
for years now .
culture crypt is the most reliable website for genre movie reviews and the best in popular culture , specializing in independent horror film entertainment .
that makes hellions certainly unsettling , if not terrifying . if halloween iii were more like hellions it could’ve worked . it delivers on the promise of kids terrorizing adults . dora is an older teenager , but the officer corman ( robert patrick ) comes to her aid and he’s not much help against them either .
closing out this year’s festival is a film that may just out - scream scream . the meta - horror comedy film the final girls boasts an all - star cast of young up - and - coming actors such as taissa farmiga , adam devine , alia shawkat , alexander ludwig , nina dobrev , and others . geddes said during his twitter teases that this was easily the most asked - for film this year .
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the hollywood reporter and indiewire criticized both the film and its direction . the reviewers felt that although hellions showed promise , it ultimately did not live up to its potential . the a . v . club named it # 3 on its list of 20 worst movies of 2015 . at the same time , horror websites such as shock till you drop and bloody disgusting reviewed it favorably and both outlets praised the film for its imagery and cinematic inventiveness . urltoken also commended the film , calling it a
perfect , light midnight movie
that , despite its shortcomings ,
gets the job done
.
this year’s midnight madness programme will open with jeremy saulnier’s green room , screening with the previously announced short film the chickening . shown earlier this year to a warm reception at the cannes film festival , the film follows an indie punk band , who after stumbling across a horrifying act of violence , is held hostage in a backwoods club by a band of neo - nazis led by patrick stewart in what is surely an unorthodox role for him .
the realism in
hellion
is admirable , as are the actors ' emotion performances . these wrenching qualities also make the film a tough sell .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
movie that should go great with light drinks , good company , and a warm blanket . if you ' re lucky enough to see the film projected at
narratively speaking , hellions starts out with a pregnant teen - who the fuck cares this film has style . style everywhere , style piled atop style while style occasionally crawls out from underneath said stylepile only to crawl right back on top like some sort of insulating bee ball of style ( you know , like how bees hibernate and shit ) .
“the finale of 2016 save the waves film festival tour of california will be this saturday , 11 / 19 , at the victoria theatre in the mission district of sf . our vip reception , catered by real good fish , will begin at 6pm and we’ll also have live music from local half moon bay hellions bar fight at 9pm . ”
the knickerbocker film festival returns this friday , april 18 to start week of screenings at locations in albany and troy . this year ' s festival slate includes 12 films - - including fiction and documentaries - - from filmmakers both local and international . ( the film lineup , with short blurbs , is after the jump . )
the psychic trauma of impending childbirth has proven fertile territory for horror films past , from the early david cronenberg chiller “the brood” to the extreme french horror film “inside , ” but bruce mcdonald’s “hellions” is an unpleasant muddle of the visceral and the abstract . though it carries the conceptual boldness of his ingenious 2008 zombie riff , “pontypool , ” [ … ]
its enchanting . the look of mcdonalds film , unlike much anything else , takes the wheel from its comparatively simple setup and pushes hellions into a dreamy ultra - style . just as dora is delivered the news of her pregnancy , shes told theres still time for options , and so the film externalizes her dilemma in bold , nightmarish form . the middle ground of halloween , in which the living and dead and supernatural co - exist , parallels her own between adulthood and adolescence , between keeping a baby or not .
don’t get me wrong , the film is not overtly bad at all . it has some very nasty moments which will leave audiences squirming in their seats and the camera work here is great . even the direction from mcdonald is reasonably sound , but my problem lies with how the film changes between the first and second act . once the demonic kids arrive the film is over - saturated with bleached tones . yes , this may promote an eerie atmosphere but the artful approach removes everything scary about it .
hellions is a movie starring chloe rose , rachel wilson , and rossif sutherland . a teenager must survive a halloween night from hell when malevolent trick - or - treaters come knocking at her door .
— in winter 1921 , d . h . lawrence and his wife journeyed to sardinia , and he chronicled their experiences in “sea and sardinia . ” now , mark cousins retraces lawrence’s footsteps . the film is conceived partly as a letter to lawrence — or “bert” — a detail typical of the film’s inviting sense of conversational intimacy . ( international premiere )
it isn’t just the who and the why of the diminutive demons that is unknown . everything about the film’s fiction is up in the air . this increasingly bizarre mystery marks an initially fascinating way for the film to foster suspense while the audience takes the same arc as dora in frantically finding out exactly what is happening to the tormented teen and her weird surrounding world .
candler gets strong performances from both her young cast and adult players . unfortunately , this gets overshadowed by the predictable plot and the distractingly shaky camera angles meant to give the film added grit .
dora escapes the house and hides in a shed outside . a disembodied voice compels dora to sleep and repeats “blood for baby , ” explaining that the hellions tormenting her have plans to kill dora and take her unwanted child .
“hellions” has a terrific style , though it uses that style to explore territory too abstract to qualify the halloween - set film as essential october 31st viewing alongside “trick ' r treat , ” “halloween , ” or “halloween iii : season of the witch . ” yet when separated from the fluff of its disappointing denouement , there remains a disturbingly dark fairy tale in the movie ' s core capable of leaving a lasting impression .
“hellions” keeps its hooks firmly embedded with atypical visuals hypnotizing in parallel to the tone . “hellions” may be the only horror movie choosing to filter its hue through a chromatic pink color instead of the usual giallo green , red , or deep blue most films use . there is probably some metaphoric meaning relating to the pregnancy plotline or the october sky’s blood moon overhead , but the look is so unique that it commands engagement simply for being a seldom seen style .
, in which a few people have probably their worst - ever halloween night when demonic little trick - or - treaters show up on their doorstep . the hellions trailer has some very odd halloween sights ; have a look below .
it’s not a well kept secret that we are huge midnight madness fans . in fact , the late - night screenings at ryerson theatre are where most of the fondest memories we have of the last decade of tiff movie going . if general tiff audiences are regarded as some of the best among all international film festivals , then the midnight madness crowd are the pièce de résistance of film festival audiences .
“hellions takes place on halloween night in the town of waterford , the so - called pumpkin capital of the world . hidden among the trick - or - treaters , a group of masked demonic beings roam the town and come upon dora , a teenager home alone for the night . cut off from the outside world and under siege in her isolated home , dora will need to defend both her body and soul from the relentless evil beings known as hellions . ”
hellions gradually transitions into nightmare logic , where the rules of time and space don’t apply . the color shifts to sepia , we see kaleidoscope imagery , and dora ends up in a completely strange world for the climax . editing even changes the logic of continuity . the lack of logic is always the scariest part of nightmares anyway , that you can’t even count on basic physics to apply , so it’s a good approach to the film’s horror .
there’s no accurate way to predict on which side of the line any given person will stand once the cloud clears . the only prudent advice is to tell potential viewers of “hellions” to be ready for either possible outcome : admiration or aversion .
up next were sydney’s hellions , who put on a show , unlike anything i’ve seen before . confidently defiant of restrictive genre boundaries , hellions combined their signature sound with the excitement of a band so comfortable and so proud of the music they’ve worked to create . at times i wasn’t sure whether i was at a hardcore gig or a funk gig , which made their performance all the more entertaining , and it was clear that the crowd and band were feeding off the other’s energy .
in its best moments , hellions is interesting and perplexing and worth soaking in , in the sense that one would admire a hieronymus bosch - inspired painting . but without at least one foot on the ground , it doesn ' t inspire fear .
i generally keep an eye on the film festival scene because it’s always where the best horror films premiere . as has long been the case for over a decade at this point , the indie scene is where it’s at when it comes to horror . anyway , last year i started hearing some buzz about “hellions . ” despite being the spookiest holiday by far , there aren’t nearly as many halloween - set horror films as there should be . so here comes a film about malevolent trick - or - treaters ? and it’s directed by the guy who made “pontypool , ” an odd but fascinating canadian variation on the zombie concept from a few years back ? sign me up ! as sometimes happened , the review started to roll in and they were…
prepare for polarization . at one end of “pontypool” director bruce mcdonald’s “hellions” is a mound of moody madness and stylish scares . at the other sits a heap of baffling background and ambiguous artistry . whichever side sways most is what tips the scale determining who leaves frightened and who leaves frustrated .
“station to station” ( director : doug aitken ) — “station to station” is composed of 60 individual one - minute films featuring different artists , musicians , places , and perspectives . this revolutionary feature - length film reveals a larger narrative about modern creativity .
the plot of hellions is very similar to that of an earlier short story
buckets
by f . paul wilson . in the story , an abortion doctor is visited and tormented by trick - or - treaters who are revealed to be the spirits of fetuses he has aborted throughout his career .
originally , walt disney boldly conceived of fantasia not as a single static film , but as a
new form of entertainment
with a repertoire that would be regularly updated and rereleased , new sequences replacing old ones and perhaps old favorites returning from time to time .
“hellions” ( canada ) ( director : bruce mcdonald , screenwriter : pascal trottier ) — teenage dora vogel must survive a halloween night from hell when malevolent trick - or - treaters come knocking at her door . cast : chloe rose , robert patrick , rossif sutherland , rachel wilson , peter dacunha , luke bilyk .
kevin bacon , keanu reeves and eli roth are among the bigger names aiming to generate buzz and raise gooseflesh in the park city at midnight sidebar at the 2015 sundance film festival , the lineup of which was announced today alongside those of the festival’s spotlight and new frontier sections .
dora makes it outside and shoots hellions on the lawn until she is overcome by a swarm of them . dora wakes restrained and surrounded in an open field , but mike comes to her rescue . in a dream state , mike and dora enter mike’s former house . mike presents his wife’s newborn child to dora and it mutates in the girl’s arms .
hellions starts off well enough thanks to rose . anyone could guess the reason she’s going to the clinic well before doctor henry ( rossif sutherland ) delivers the news , but rose has more than enough natural charisma to sell dora as a very likable lead with a mind of her own , sparking curiosity regarding how she’s going to deal with the scenario .
norayr kasper ' s cinematography is interesting throughout as he sifts through one artfully framed shot after another then seguing into more aesthetically - pleasing territory with filters and lighting . the imagery , alone , smoothed out a lot of the more negative aspects of this film ( but , not the exploding pumpkin patch - …
in the shadowy world of 2010 ' s unauthorized low - budget quasi - sequels to halloween iii that lean way heavy on the purples and pinks , hellions is totally like what bootleg halloween iv could have been if halloween iii had made so much money right out the gate that unaffiliated producers everywhere were like , ok ! so what happens next ? and came up with some crazy ideas whilst freebasing melted - down vhs copies of labyrinth all night until the fumes drove them from the office bathroom and / or caused them to pass out having the weirdest dreams and that dream would have been hellions and instead of sleeping they drove out to the nearest pumpkin farm in ontario the very next day and made this movie . nominally…
hellions is incredibly scary . mcdonald does a terrific job building the tension and suspense early on . i was on the edge of my seat just waiting for something terrible to happen to dora . i literally had to get up and turn some lights on because it freaked me out that bad . major kudos to mcdonald and crew for being able to accomplish that .
more so at these screenings than others , the directors , cast and crew of these films compliment and cheer on the rowdy and raucous film viewing mob , while we watch these action - packed , shocking and sometime horrific films . it’s an obscene celebration of art – but we wouldn’t have it any other way .
no one wants a horror movie ridden with cliche scares and plot points , but there is something to be said for one that can tap into familiar territory but deliver a fresh take on it . director bruce mcdonald certainly tries to do something along those lines with hellions , but the traditional halloween shenanigans are far more entertaining than the muddled surreal spin he puts on them .
the film also has a really cool style . about halfway through the film , when shit really begins to get real and pick up , the color filter shifts . i’m not sure it goes to full on sepia or something similar , but it sorts of takes the movie into this dream - like world . it’s a really nice touch and helps the movie start to mess with your mind . there is also one superb shot of dora running with the moon in the background with an orange sky . it’s beautiful and reminded me of the scene halloween iii : season of the witch with trick - or - treaters from around the world out and about .
before a blood moon turns the autumnal splendor of a small town to a fetal pink , “hellions” has the eerie quality of halloween night in an ’80s horror film , where suburban normalcy ends at dusk . dora ( chloe rose ) wiles away the afternoon in a pumpkin patch , smoking a joint with her boyfriend ( luke bilyk ) , but the day takes a dramatic turn when her doctor ( rossif sutherland ) informs her that she’s four weeks pregnant . the news of this seemingly immaculate conception shocks dora enough to keep her inside the house while her mother ( rachel wilson ) and little brother ( peter dacunha ) go out trick - or - treating , but she doesn’t have much time to process it in peace .
the plot of this halloween - based canadian horror film makes little sense and plays out like a teenager ' s disjointed pregnancy nightmare , but what it lacks in coherence it makes up for in production design and includes a few really eerie scenes and lots of genuinely creepy costumed kids . far from a classic , but well worth watching .
as a whole , hellions fails to match pontypool as it is clearly not of the same caliber . the plot is relatively simple and not too different from your average home invasion thriller . it tries to strive for originality by introducing a supernatural twist to the subgenre . regrettably the execution of the plot devices and the treacherous pacing of the story combined with bleached out visuals marred the experience .
“the nightmare” ( director : rodney ascher ) — a documentary - horror film exploring the phenomenon of sleep paralysis through the eyes of eight people . they ( and a surprisingly large number of others ) often find themselves trapped between the sleeping and awake realms , unable to move but aware of their surroundings while subject to disturbing sights and sounds .
even the abstract imagery of bach’s toccata and fugue in d minor , and the serene world of the candle - bearing pilgrims who accompany schubert’s ave maria , are not without power . the film comes to a halt only for an unnecessary intermission with a dancing animated
soundtrack ,
and perhaps musicologist deems taylor’s introductions with their studied casualness .
kevin bacon , keanu reeves and eli roth are among the bigger names aiming to generate buzz and raise gooseflesh in the park city at midnight sidebar at the 2015 sundance film festival , the lineup of which was announced today alongside those of the festival’s spotlight and new frontier sections . fresh off his turn in “john wick , ” reeves stars [ … ]
bruce mcdonald is best known for his previous film pontypool , a tale of a zombie apocalypse spread by the spoken word set within the confinement of a radio station . very creative and incredibly suspenseful , pontypool really knocked me for six and i loved every minute of it so imagine how excited i was to be sitting down to watch his follow up .
officer mike corman rescues dora . thinking they hear dr . henry’s screams , dora returns to the house with mike , but it turns out to be another hellion illusion . mike finds runes drawn on the wall that translate to harvest , birth , and sacrifice . upon confirming that dora is pregnant , mike explains that he confronted the hellions during a previous halloween blood moon when they came for his pregnant wife sherri .
my one complaint is the story isn’t completely coherent . i can’t tell you what was real or what was fake . ultimately i’m not even sure why these kiddie creatures want dora’s baby . there are some references to some history these creatures have with this small town , but nothing is really that clear . i think this actually makes me appreciate hellions even more . the story isn’t that tight or clear and yet i still loved this movie .
mixing elements of “ils” and “the strangers” with “inside” ( review here ) and “a nightmare on elm street , ” the strong start to “hellions” comes from an early uncertainty as to what type of thriller it even is . the setup teases touches of paranormal pregnancy , home invasion horror , and supernatural slasher in ways where the distinct lack of rules for how perception is played with creates a “stay on guard” sense of heightened alert and constant questions .
the surreal setting bears down hard and a nyah - nyah - nyah soundtrack of children’s voices grows gratingly cacophonous . by this point , plenty of people will mentally , and perhaps literally , head for the exit with understandable justification on their side . for anyone more overwhelmed by the force and feel of the film’s first half , imagery still burns strong , even with possibly illegitimate purpose .
opera oblivia , the band’s latest and most experimental release proved itself in a live setting : lotus eater and nightliner rhapsody transcended pop punk - esque vocal hooks and instrumentation to become colossal live tracks while closing song thresher rounded out hellions ’ performance with a bold assertion of their performative creativity and energy . special mention to drummer anthony caruso , who struck every single part of his kit with guts from start to finish and didn’t once miss a beat .
pint - sized boogeymen spoil halloween in a big way in hellions , a hard - sell horror flick about the unthinkability of teen pregnancy . bruce mcdonald ' s latest is a genre - freak - only affair that even at 81 minutes feels like a joke that takes much too long reaching its punch line ; though horror fests may bite , commercial prospects are slim despite the fanboy - friendly presence of robert patrick as a grizzled small - town cop .
“the tribe” ( ukraine ) ( director and screenwriter : myroslav slaboshpytskiy ) — set at a ukrainian boarding school for the deaf , the film’s narrative unfolds purely through sign language without the need for subtitles or voiceover , resulting in a unique , never - before - seen cinematic experience that engages the audience on a new level . cast : grigoriy fesenko , yana novikova , rosa babiy , alexander dsiadevich .
hellions stars chloe rose , robert patrick and rachel wilson and follows dora ( rose ) , a rebellious teenager who finds out that she is pregnant . wanting to avoid all sense of responsibility she decides to celebrate halloween by going out to a party . so , after dressing up in her angel costume , she eagerly awaits the arrival of her boyfriend until a malevolent group of monstrous trick - or - treaters come knocking at her door with the intention of taking her unborn child .
that what they ' re watching isn ' t strictly objective reality . dora ' s body is no longer her own , making the home - invasion analogy a blunt but potent metaphor for her feelings of powerlessness . other horrors - of - new - mom - dom analogies are effectively used throughout the film , particularly womb - like jack - o ' - lanterns , and raw chicken eggs splattering on translucent window panes .
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thankfully redemption can be found in the performances delivered by chloe rose and robert patrick . chloe did a wonderful job in leading the film and went the mile to make her performance wholly believable . patrick , known to most as the relentless t - 1000 , plays the town sheriff who comes to her aid . bringing a sense of mystery to his character , patrick is very likable in the role and offers adequate support to rose without overshadowing her .
soon , the trick - or - treater announcing doorbells turn sinister . the film is like one of those inherently creepy images of halloween in the 1920s come - to - life . small , childlike forms , draped in dresses and overalls , and adorned with unsettling masks locked in benevolent expression , terrorize dora . they whisper in her head . they want her baby . these demonic little things invade her home and force this angel out into the red night .
the vanguard programme is often filled with unusual , challenging , and experimental films that push the boundaries of what you typically see on the big screen . it can be a hit - or - miss section to choose from . this year’s crop of films continues that mandate . one that seems to be grabbing attention early on is the south korean film collective invention . in what promises to be a humorous satire , a mutant fish - man becomes a national celebrity .
i love love love movies that take place on or around halloween . most horror fans probably feel the same way , but it’s my favorite holiday and because of that there’s a special joy i get when a movie uses halloween as a setting . seeing the costumes and the decorations and others celebrating a day i love is a real treat . no matter how many movies i’ve seen that take place on halloween , i’m constantly looking for new ones to add to the october rotation . i am very happy to say that hellions absolutely belongs on everyone’s mandatory october watch list .
( newly available on blu - ray / dvd ) rather than a static motion picture , fantasia was originally conceived as a repertoire , a selection of presentations that over time could be augmented by new pieces while old ones were retired , like an orchestra rotating its concert lineup … ten years ago , amid the wreckage at the end of the 1990s disney renaissance , the disney studio marked fantasia ’s 60th anniversary with fantasia 2000 , a film intended to honor in a way the original repertory conception of fantasia .
“things of the aimless wanderer” ( rwanda - u . k . ) ( director and screenwriter : kivu ruhorahoza ) — a white man meets a black girl , but then she disappears . the white man tries to understand what happened to her while also trying to finish a travelogue . the film concerns the sensitive topic of relations between “locals” and westerners , as well as paranoia , mistrust and misunderstandings . cast : justin mullikin , grace nikuze , ramadhan bizimana , eliane umuhire , wesley ruzibiza , matt ray brown .
anyway , what an ugly - looking movie ! the majority of it was filmed ( that is , filtered to death later ) in a candy - ish lavender tint , for no reason other than that the action takes place at night and we wouldn ' t be able to otherwise see anything . the onscreen violence is filmed like billions of other action scenes you ' ve seen on television since the arrival of hd digital film ( that annoying staccato frame rate thing where it looks like it ' s being shown through a hand - cranked projector ) .
the set - up for
hellions
is blessedly simple : dora ( chloe rose ) , a typically moody high school senior , discovers she ' s four weeks pregnant on halloween . dora is unsure of how to broach the subject with chops - busting boyfriend jace ( luke bilyk ) and approachable - but - overbearing mom kate ( rachel wilson ) . in fact , dora can barely find the words to talk to sensitive gynecologist dr . henry ( rossif sutherland ) . but dora doesn ' t have to wonder what she ' s going to do for long because she ' s soon confronted with bigger problems : pint - sized , costumer - wearing kids who start by egging dora ' s house , then destroy property and anyone who gets in their way .
ilium , new york
by patrick stephenson from albany , n . y . - a post - industrial love story ,
ilium , new york
is a day in the life of a fictional rust - belt town inspired by kurt vonnegut ' s
player piano
. the work also functions as an origin story of
the rags
- invented in 1970 ' s chicago by dan giesler , uncle of the filmmaker . with pocket lint for a budget and a maximum crew of two , the film was shot over three winters in upstate new york . the next project ,
sacred miracle cave
, will serve as the second installment of a planned trilogy .
striking images abound in almost every sequence . take the brilliantly rendered dancing flowers and fairies of tchaikovsky’s nutcracker suite ( the
chinese dance
movement especially , with its solemn , broad - hatted coolie mushrooms bowing gravely to one another , made an indelible impact on me the first time i saw the film as an adult ; and the joyously whirling tall - hatted cossack thistles and swirling - skirted orchids in the
russian dance
are almost as memorable ) . or the majestic winged horses and flirting centaurs and centaurettes in beethoven’s pastoral symphony . or the great stegosaurus - vs - tyrannosaur battle of stravinsky’s the rite of spring ( quaint - looking when compared with dinosaur ’s computer animation , but far stronger emotionally ) .
this was another film from frightfest that i had missed and know i know i made the right decision to skip it . there ' s some potential here for a halloween set horror with demon ' s disguised as trick or treating children but on the whole it ' s a bit of a mess . chloe rose is a 17 year old who learns from a doctor , on halloween that she ' s pregnant . she returns home to an empty house and is soon being harassed by some young masked trick or treater ' s . to start with it could be just a prank but things take a turn for the violent when it appears they are after her unborn child . there ' s plenty of style and some nice imagery on…
the lack of rules regarding the trick - or - treaters , their goals and their realm is also extremely problematic . based on the look of the film , you’d think that dora is the one who’s trapped there , but apparently other townsfolk can traipse in as well . at one point , doctor henry gets caught up in the madness and then so does a painfully underdeveloped town cop played by robert patrick . neither add much to the narrative or the mythology . they’re primarily there so that dora can get her hands on a shotgun and so that we can get some additional carnage . they’re fleeting thrills that add nothing to the big picture . their screen time would have been much better spent focusing on dora’s efforts to figure out what’s happening and how to beat it .
what mcdonald and trottier don ' t do is establish dora ' s baby - phobia as a symptom of her character and not her age . that ' s admittedly a challenge given the brief time we get to know dora . but rose , clad in a basic halo - and - wings angel costume for halloween , seems to represent a type , not an individual . we arguably don ' t need to know much about dora , but there isn ' t much in the film about her dreams that don ' t make her seem like a personality - less cypher . she ' s supposed to be average , and mcdonald refreshingly doesn ' t stigmatize her teenage pregnancy . in fact , he goes out of his way to show that doctor henry is caring , and that both kate and jace are friendly enough .
released in 1940 , fantasia was a critical and popular failure in its own day ( roger ebert blames a war - related shortage of whimsical spirit ) ; but with the passage of time it has gradually been completely vindicated . endorsed in the 1950s by high - minded educators and culture critics for its popularization of classical music ( as well as the
science
and
culture
conceits of the rite of spring sequence’s primeval history and the pastoral ’s use of greco - roman mythology ) ; then embraced by the 1960s counterculture for its dreamlike , nonlinear imagery ; and ultimately hailed by virtually all film critics for its undeniably glorious , groundbreaking , visionary animation , fantasia has taken its place as one of the unquestioned all - time great animated films , indeed , one of the all - time great films , period .
a bunch of little hellions show up at a pregnant teenager ' s house on halloween and then expect me to sift through subtext for about 70 - fucking - minutes and maybe i wouldn ' t have been so annoyed if the movie didn ' t look like absolute shit , i ' m sure the lousy performances didn ' t help either . for a majority of the running time i was mostly bored & annoyed because i didn ' t give a shit about what was happening on the screen and once the ending rolled around , instead of a redeeming twist or payoff , i was just sorta like
huh ? that ' s it ?
i had my notebook in front of me and when i wasn ' t scribbling
this is kinda stupid ,
or at the bottom of the page in all - capital lettering
so , so stupid ,
i was doodling little ghosts and pumpkins and skeletons , because i was that disengaged .
with a powerful performance by aaron paul and very believable teenagers played by the whole cast ,
hellion
is a deep and meaningful story that often fails to connect when it needs to , but other times when it does , it does so with vigorous pride . after the death of his wife , hollis ( aaron paul ) must deal with his teenage son getting in trouble with the law and dragging his younger son into that trouble , all while dealing with a depressing drinking problem . there are many themes explored throughout this film , but it never seems lie enough , and i normally enjoy open endings to great films , so that it keeps me guessing , but this felt a little too unfinished for my liking .
hellion
is a great story , told very well , but it is not without it ' s faults . aaron paul has a bright career ahead of him , and i cannot wait to see what he does next .
after starting the holiday relaxing with her boyfriend and a joint in a pumpkin patch , things are about to go very badly for dora ( chloe rose ) . first a routine visit to her doctor reveals that she ' s pregnant . then , after her mom and brother have left the house for trick - or - treating , the gates of hell open up . or something .
the bad vibes start off promisingly , as a couple of kids with exceptionally creepy costumes come to the door for candy , then keep returning for reasons dora doesn ' t understand . but rather than engage in slow - build horror , pascal trottier ' s screenplay flips the switch into poultergeist y chaos : everything turns pale pink , the house fills with savage winds , and voices from nowhere whisper menacing things . sadly , the pink tint remains even after the winds cease — inspiring visual fatigue that overwhelms some strong costume design and visual fx work .
cutaways to spinning clocks and the like inspire us to wonder how much of this is in chloe ' s head . those signals continue even after her phone calls for help lead to visits from her doctor and patrick ' s character , who seems to have some experience with baby - obsessed halloween gremlins . unconvinced that any of this is actually happening , we might be excused for having a hard time caring about the violent action , but most viewers will at least stick around in hopes of an intelligible explanation in the end . they ' ll be disappointed .
) . chloe rose stars as dora , your fairly typical 17 - year - old . she dresses in a lot of black , in a fashion i suppose kids today would say is goth . i wouldn’t say it’s goth , but she has that hot topic look . there’s actually a great scene with her early on in the waiting room of a doctor’s office . its halloween day and a little girl in a halloween costume is waiting next to her . dora compliments the girl’s costume and then the little girl says , “i like your costume as well . ” puzzled , dora informs the girl that she’s not wearing a costume . this was cute , funny scene , in a movie that is otherwise quite dark .
once dora sees the doctor ( rossif sutherland ) she learns that she’s pregnant . she’s completely stunned by the news . she can’t believe it . there’s no way she could possibly be pregnant . she’s only had sex with her boyfriend jace ( luke bilyk ) once . but hey , once is all it takes !
back at home her little brother remi ( peter dacunha ) is getting ready to head out for an exciting night of trick - or - treating with their mother ( rachel wilson ) . dora is supposed to go to a halloween party but given her recent pregnancy development she doesn’t much feel like partying . she decides to stay home but changes her mind after he mother convinces her to enjoy her youth .
dora gets dressed , calls up her boyfriend and waits for him to arrive . as she’s waiting a couple of trick - or - treaters knock on the door . these kids have incredibly creepy , old timey costumes . these are like the type of costumes you see in old halloween pictures from the 1930’s . one kid is wearing a metal bucket on his head and the other has a canvas , scarecrow - like sack . these little creeps have no manners as they refuse to say trick - or - treat , but dora still gives them candy .
some more times passes . dora’s boyfriend never shows up , so she calls repeatedly but gets nothing . the trick - or - treaters come back and things begin to get really weird . these little freaks want dora , and more specifically want the baby in her tummy and they’ll do anything to get it . the movie then becomes a battle between dora and these freaky kids .
eric kohn and anne thompson discuss their favorite films of the year so far . they also debate several new releases and share some streaming recommendations .
in an episode dedicated to the show within the show , “glow” illustrates its grand capacity for storytelling , and the very good tv podcast breaks down how .
rules weren’t meant to be broken when it comes to tv episode lengths , but these 10 examples — introduced on the very good tv podcast — are clear exceptions .
after studying under cinematographer ed lachman , shevaun mizrahi forged her own unique filmmaking path with its own set of rules .
the actress and director both love the genre , but as they told indiewire , they also knew it needed to be retrofitted to tell the true story of catherine weldon and sitting bull .
lane and schoenbrun discuss how her interest in morgellons disease patients ( “the pain of others” ) and his exploration of the slenderman myth ( “a self - induced hallucination” ) led them to make archival films from youtubes .
basically the story of a man forced to finally see the injustice around him . riley’s movie is designed to do the same thing to you . …
roger ebert ' s speech on empathy for the
11th hour
series on april 9th , 1994 , being republished here in honor of his birthday june 18 .
roger ebert was born on this day in 1942 , and died a little over five years ago . i owe a good part of my success…
a look back at robert zemeckis ' half - animated classic , who framed roger rabbit , on its 30 - year anniversary .
a tribute to the late tab hunter , a gay matinee idol and hollywood trailblazer .
mcdonald and screenwriter pascal trottier frequently suggest that the events that viewers are watching unfold could conceivably be all in dora ' s head . their commitment to dora ' s wracked point - of - view is selective , but they do often remind viewers—through bath salt and stress - induced dream sequences
an interview with terry gilliam , director of
the man who killed don quixote .
the ebert club is our hand - picked selection of content for ebert fans . you will receive a weekly newsletter full of movie - related tidbits , articles , trailers , even the occasional streamable movie . club members also get access to our members - only section on urltoken
there’s some real potential for comedy in the notion that so many of us these days have more virtual friends than “hang out at a bar” / “stand up for me at my wedding” friends ; and there’s a solid satire that could be made about a black man who hires himself out to be a cool buddy to dorky white dudes . but the wedding ringer does nothing with either of these ideas . even though director and co - writer jeremy garelick has polished comic actors kevin hart and josh gad plugging away gamely , he shies away from his own darkly funny premise , and instead loads up on kooky supporting players , broad slapstick , and joke after joke about how male friendship is kinda icky—and possibly gay . after coming up with a clever ( ish ) title , garelick apparently went into cruise control . isn’t there some fine that can be levied against filmmakers who waste a good premise ? [ noel murray ]
“reboot” has been a depressing and meaningless buzzword for a while now , but there’s something particularly dispiriting about a reboot that resets a lousy movie ( in this case , 2007’s timothy olyphant - wasting hitman ) into an equally lousy ( if ever so slightly less dull ) movie . here , once again , is the bald , barcoded , and entirely conspicuous video game protagonist who shoots his way through a nonsense plot , his near - invincibility inciting surprisingly chintzy special effects along the way , in between the ample time this movie spends on scenes of people staring at computer screens as face - recognition programs run . it shouldn’t be hard to make an entertaining b - movie about a genetically engineered assassin , but it may be time for the hitman franchise to quit while it’s behind . presumably an even lower - rent version of max payne will appear in a year or two to take its place . [ jesse hassenger ]
kinja is in read - only mode . we are working to restore service .
dora ( chloe rose ) is home alone on halloween . when three kids show up at her door in masks , she thinks they are regular trick or treaters . despite dora giving them candy , they come back to keep terrorizing her . at first it’s normal stuff like egging and pumpkin smashing , but it evolves into a much stranger assault from demons who clearly have supernatural powers .