One of the best remakes I've seen in a long time!

Rating: 10/10 (18 June 2006)

Having seen the original movie and being kind of disappointed in it I wasn't looking forward to a remake of a film that had cheesy acting and an ending that left me unsatisfied. Then I saw that Alexandre Aja was attached to it. Having seen High Tension and immediately loving it, I actually started looking forward to The Hills Have Eyes, because I thought Aja could (hopefully) save it. Now, I'm not one to hate the original, but then contradict myself in liking a remake- the original was gruesome and had some intense moments, but the ending just left me unsatisfied. The acting was mediocre, but the film was made on an almost shoestring budget. Dee Wallace was good in the original, no argument there. But everyone else seemed to overact in a way. Onto this remake. The opening sequence was great. I loved that intense moment of insanity. Brutal, to the point, and gave you a taste of what was to come. Normally I don't like it when movies do that because it usually sets itself up to be as good as that opening sequence, but then the audience is let down by the movie going nowhere near that exciting in the end. Not this film. The opening sequence is nothing compared to what will follow. The film overall had a great cast, plenty of intense moments, and gore galore! It was good to finally see a film which balanced suspense with gore the way Hills Have Eyes did. Unlike the original, the ending to Aja's remake was so gratifying. Throughout the whole film I was on the edge of my seat, and the ending left me wanting more- in a good way. It was one of those films I enjoyed so much I wanted to see more. I ended up going through my DVD collection and watching old horror movies. I even re-watched the original version. Wes Craven's 1977 Hills Have Eyes was a classic. Aja's remake of the film, in my opinion, will become a classic, just like the original. It was brutal, in your face, and left me with a sadistic grin of pleasure on my face. 10/10