Slick Remake

Rating: 7/10 (15 February 2008)

Aja's the Hills Have Eyes retains the suspense, feeling and real horror of Wes Craven's original 1977 The Hills Have Eyes, and adds more modern characters and a bit of plot. Unlike many recent horror films, Hills develops its characters beyond stereotypes before subjecting them to grisly deaths and cannibalism, and develops suspense very well by allowing the plots to expand between gross-out scenes. The Hills also cuts very few corners in terms of graphic horror and disturbing violence, and the gore is refreshingly realistic, non-Tarantino, and unsanitary.
A family is traveling across the Nevada desert near a former nuclear testing range when they need to get gas. The gas station attendant finds them annoying and decides to misdirect them into the testing range. A few clues are scattered about the early scenes from which the back-story of the plot can be deduced, but these are not to be fully understood until it becomes clear that the family is to be hunted down, sadistically murdered, and eaten - 1 by 1.
Although the film vaguely connects to environmental issues and various fears concerning deformity, it appropriately avoids making any political and/or moral statements and exhibits the sort of nihilism needed for a truly scary film.
The acting and the script are very good in comparison to the genre's norm. Dan Byrd was particularly impressive as Bobby Junior. the film is also well directed and the cinematography, pace and editing are a touch better than the original Craven film. All considered, this is one of the better horror films of the new millennium, so far - a little less innovative and intelligent than The Descent and a little less scary than 1408, but much more suspenseful than either.