The hills have eyes and the producers too: excellent popcorn horror

Rating: 8/10 (25 June 2006)

When you decide to watch a movie like this updated version of "The hills have eyes" you are not looking for a Hitchcock nor a Kubrick. Not even an Oscar nominee. What you really want is a couple of hours of good plain entertainment, with some smart suspense, a minimally coherent plot, and a good production that should translate in a clear direction, good photography and adequate sound (yes, sound, the main element in the "boo-factor", you know, those moments when the people jump from their seats and screams pop up around the theater).
Well, this movie has all of the above. It provides the kind of entertainment you expect without being too explicit except in what refers to human or mutant butchery that nowadays seems to be a must for the genre. Nevertheless these scenes are very well achieved, rounding an excellent work in cinematography by Belgium Maxime Alexandre, under an overall good direction over his own screenplay by Frenchman Alexandre Aja.
For my surprise this movie does not make use of the usual resource of the hot chicks nor hot guys. Actually there is nothing close to the hot guy stereotype, but even though there is good hot chick material in American Vinessa Shaw (a Kubrick-chick if you remember "Eyes Wide Shut") and Australian Emilie de Ravin (your lovely Claire Littleton in "Lost") playing as sisters, there is basically no explicit use of her sensuality, even less of her natural body attributes. There are two scenes than run together where one after other sister are under some kind of perverse sexual harassment where almost everything is left to you to complete with your own dirty mind.
Again, be aware that this is a good movie form the absolute light entertainment point of few. Don't think not even for a second it's perfect. The plot is full of holes, some impossible stuff happens, but what the hack, the whole idea is just a big impossibility, this is not a documentary or anything like that. So be smart, lower your criticism, help yourself with a drink, a good dosage of sugar or whichever substance makes your mood go smooth, relax and have fun.