Aja Very Well Could Be The Next Wes Craven

Rating: 8/10 (19 March 2006)

With his American debut "High Tension", Aja definitely went where many modern-day horror films don't....he went the most violent, vicious, and animalistic route that he could to tell the story of a pshyco chopping down a family and kidnapping an innocent girl. Most would think that since his next movie, "The Hills Have Eyes", was all-American, the censors would have to cut his original ideals. It has been reported that the original cut was NC-17, however, that doesn't mean that this "R"-rated version made it all the easier on the eyes.
Comparing the old to the new, Wes Craven's was a very good classic horror movie. It wasn't the best, but this was only due to the fact that it was so ragged. It lacked sufficient funds and, in my personal opinion, didn't give Wes the full-range he could've used in order to make it the way he wanted. Instead, at times it felt more like a Mad Max involving a family instead of something that would seem brutal or scary. It was raw.
Aja's version is much more fleshed-out with a much clearer back-story, as well as tension and suspense. The violence was similar to that of a 80's slasher with a big budget, so, if you're in it to see blood fly, this is your movie. I believe that, had Wes Craven has Aja's budget when he had his original idea back in the early 70's, the original would've been much similar to this.
As a horror director, Aja is definitely on his way to becoming one of the greats. His style is defined much more in this, only adding to what we could see in "High Tension". He likes gore, and he shows it well.
I could actually say that the remake was better than the original.
To the people who liked the original better, I mean no disrespect. This is only my opinion.