Stunned. Gripped. Scared shitless.

Rating: 9/10 (8 March 2006)

Stunned. Gripped. Scared shitless.
I was -- when watching Alexandre Aja's excellent remake of the 1977 Wes Craven slasher on a preview screening.
If Craven's film is considered a classic, then this new version is an instant classic of artistic integrity, unique frights, and brutal honesty.
Aja is a great guy, and truly a visual poet -- still, his first gorefest "High Tension" (aka "Switchblade Romance") was a hysteric movie looking for an actual plot line.
Since then, Aja has grown into his task, with a simple, effective script for "The Hills Have Eyes" remake, which combines the best of both "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Dawn of Dead", my two favorite slasher remakes in recent years.
I can't wait to see Aja's next film, the appropriately titled "The Waiting." Oh, and one more thing - an unrecognizable Aaron Stanford ("Tadpole", X2") gives a tour de force performance so visceral and honest -- this young man qualifies as one of our best today in movies.
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