One of the strongest horror film since Alexandre Aja's own film "High Tension".

Rating: 8/10 (14 August 2006)

In New Mexico, at a deserted highway. A mysterious, seemingly normal Gas Station attendant (Tom Bower) leads a middle class family (Aaron Stanford, Emilie de Ravin, Daniel Byrd, Kathleen Quinlan, Vinessa Shaw, Ted Levine and Maisie Camilleri Preziosi) to take a shirt cut by driving through the desert. Since the family are on their way to California. This family gets stranded in the middle of nowhere and not thinking, they are near an old nuclear test site. An strange group of Bloodthirshy monsters are watching them from the hills and these monsters are planning their attack on this wholesome family.
Directed by Alexandre Aja made an effective, strong brutal horror movie. Which is based on a 1977 film, written and directed by Wes Craven (The Last House on the Left, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream Trilogy). Co-Screenwriter/Director:Aja and Art Director/Co-Screenwriter:Gregory Lavasseur (Who also co-wrote "High Tension") made this remake with more irony, emotional and violent than Craven's take on his original movie. In this new remakes focuses on a nuclear waste subplot, a different third act and making the villains more mysterious, creeper & open minded. The only thing i felt missing watching this remake is Craven's (sometimes outrageous) dark sense of humour in the original. Oddly enough Aja and Lavasseur made this villains a bit more sympathetic. Because this remake, they made these monsters victims themselves by the nuclear test site. Which of course, the big differences between the original and the remake. In the original, these attackers were inbred cannibals living near an old nuclear test site. In the remake, they become monsters by being deformed by the test site turning into cannibals themselves and living at a old test site.
This remake is actually (only sightly) better than Craven's movie. This remake has top production values by having excellent cinematography work by Maxime Alexandre, a surprisingly good cast (including:Robert Joy as Lizard, Micheal Bailey Smith as Pluto, Laura Ortiz as Ruby and Billy Drago as Papa Jupiter), great production designs by Joseph Nemic the Third (Terminator 2:Judgment Day), convincing make-up effects work by Gregory Nicotero and Oscar-Winner:Howard Berger (The Chronicles of Nadia:the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Hostel, Land of the Dead) and sometimes brilliant music score by tomandandy (The Rules of Attraction). Like Craven's original, this remake is also flawed in parts. Especially in some of its dramatic moments and towards the conclusion.
The Unrated DVD has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and an strong-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The DVD has two informative commentary tracks. Commentary One is the Co-Screenwriter/Director:Aja, Art Director/Co-Screenwriter:Lavasseur and One of the film's producers:Marianne Maddalena (Cursed, Music of the Heart, Red Eye). The Second Commentary is by the producers:Craven and Peter Locke (The original producer of the 1977 picture) is actually a bit more entertaining and fun than the first commentary track. DVD also has a terrific 50 minute documentary, production diaries and a music video. Only two things missing are the excellent theatrical trailer and deleted scenes (Which it was briefly seen in the documentary).
The new "Hills" is one of the best horror remakes in a while. Like Craven's original film, this remake will also have an cult following. Since this remake was a sleeper hit at the box office and did well on DVD. There's no doubt the producers:Craven, Maddalena and Locke are working on the upcoming sequel. Let's hope the sequel will not be a remake of the absurd second "Hills" 1983 movie. Which Craven and Locke were also involved in. Super 35. (****/*****).