skillfully constructed gore flick

Rating: 8/10 (11 August 2006)

After "High Tension" my expectations regarding Aja's next movie was very high. I feel fully satisfied and I think that followers of extremely brutal gore flicks from the 1970s will be as well. "The Hills Have Eyes" is a remake of Was Craven's classic slasher. Even though the film is not an exact adaptation, it retains the climate of the original. Alike Aja's previous flick, this one keeps in incessant suspense and daring gory scenes occur, therefore it's not a film aiming at teenagers or people with weak stomach. Furthermore, the plot is well-developed and characters with their well-outlined traits are characteristic and likable. I only would rather they behaved more rationally in some scenes. For instance, the scene when the main hero leaves a gun by his victim is very hackneyed. Nevertheless, the transformation of the main hero who has to radically change his attitude to violence and become 'killing machine' is believable and fully explicable. "The Hills Have Eyes" is also perfect from the technical side. The film is well-shot on desert location and both mutants' make-up and set design are abominable and great at the same time. All in all, every hardcore horror fan should see this flick.