Gore Mongral Movie Review: The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

Rating: 8/10 (28 August 2006)

What up my pygmies..it is I the infamous Gore Mongral back from the bowels of horrors pits to bring you yet another flick of repulsiveness. Today is "The Hills Have Eyes" remake. To start I will say that as a rule of thumb I do not like remakes however there are those exceptions like John Carpenters "The Thing" which happens to be my favorite horror movie of all time. So after saying that where does "Hills" fall more like The Fog remake or The Thing remake? Thankfully it is the latter.
You know the premise if you same the original, family going on vacation, stranded in the desert and attacked by crazy desert mountain folk, family members die the remaining members fight back against the nuts and get away. This movie is the same however it definitely has its own wrinkles that make it more than just your standard remake. If I could say one word about the movie is FINALLY! Why finally, because thank God somebody gets it. Horror done right is when you have a descent story with some characters that you can get behind and seeing them be put through their own personal hell and how the heck (if they can) they get out of it.
Also with a film with this kind of subject matter you got to have the violence on high and the gore and blood flowing throughout which this film does. For a Movie Theatre release I'm use to OK to good violence and gore but not quite what you would see on a uncut DVD however this movie (though cut to make a R rating not an NC-17) left enough of the gruel to satisfy gorehounds of any kind. If this is the shredded version of the film I cannot wait to see what was cut! Now with all that aside the negatives of the movie, though minor could hamper some short attention spanned horror fans from really getting into it. There is a nice violent beginning but then we get lulled a little with character development that takes some time to move on which at the midway point will have you thinking where are those freaking mutant mountain folk. If you can be patient though the payoff is more than worth it as some of the coolest violence this side of a 12 gauge shotgun to the head (hint hint) will be on display.
In conclusion, thank you Alexandre Aja for this film, thank you for being an old school horror fan and not wimping out for a PG-13 garbage fest. I look forward to your other movies as so far you are 2 for 2 (this and High Tension). You are definitely a genre director to keep an eye on. As far as the movie..what are you doing get off your duff, stop reading this post and check it out.
8/10 Very good movie remake or otherwise, little joking as the terror hits quick and violently especially in the 3rd and 4th acts of the film. Worth your $10.00 so see it while it is out.
Thats it for now pygmies until next time heed my advice, don't get directions from a no-toothed gas station attendant as you may end up in The Hills Have Eyes sequel!!!