Ominous and predictable, but worth the ticket

Rating: 5/10 (17 April 2006)

It is very unusual to walk out of a theater, after having seen a the newest horror flick, and being pleased with what you viewed. I see "scary" movies with a hint of boredom and apprehension these days. A proper horror film has not been made for quite sometime. The Hills have Eyes is a little different.
It begins ominously enough, and is quite predictable, but leads the viewers with a steady hand. The movie starts with a classic run-down gas station, at which an average American family is turned off the road by a seemingly well-meaning man. At this point the audience would be shouting at the screen "Don't do it, it's a trap!". . . . in the old days. Now, it is harder and harder to spook your average teenager, or, in some cases, your average five-year-old.
The characters make the characteristic moves of all horror characters: following the dog into the darkness (the dog, always goes to the trouble), leaving one person alone to hold down the fort, going off alone, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But, Hills has its redeeming qualities in that it gives excellent scare-tactics. The ending, also, ends as a cliff-hanger, allowing you to make up whatever you think would suit such a movie.