There are people living on those hills

Rating: 7/10 (13 May 2006)

Remakes, either a clear sign that a particular genre and/or artistic approach is exhausted of original content, or a heart-felt and invigorating tribute to a classic effort of cinematography: opinions diverge and each case seems to be so particular as to render too strict generalizations somewhat trivial.
If one is to judge The Hills Have Eyes (2006) on how well it achieved what it set out to accomplish- a truly disturbing, violent and convincing portrait of human depravity- then can is fair to say it is nothing short of brilliant. However, it naturally follows that this is not an experience that everyone is likely to enjoy, it does contain very graphic gore and quite gruesome acts of sheer horror which will obviously alienate a certain audience. But, in a way, that is part of its impact. Horror, and particularly this kind of insane gore-driven horror, is not for everyone.
Plot-wise, The Hills Have Eyes is nothing amazing, it follows a pattern that has been long established to explore highly tense situations that include as major elements a complete sense of isolation and vulnerability, which is keenly felt by the victims, and naturally presumes a group of villains to "ignite" the action, so to speak. What is quite well conceived is how these basic structured is handled and delivered to the viewing audience.
First of all, the setting was simply perfect. The desert is described with a lucid camera, creating a truly bleak and desolate atmosphere that only gains by reiteration. That we are not presented any alternative location only makes the claustrophobia more sublime. Clever light filters transform the world of rocks and ravines into a near surreal worldscape of nightmarish proportions.
In terms of character, we are given enough time to empathize with the people of the movie, and even though it is far from being a study on character, there is more attention paid to the emotional interactions of the characters than what one would expect in such a movie. Which is always refreshing as it adds a grim intensity to the horror such characters undergo.
Now, for the monsters. Truly disgusting, viciously horrid, mindlessly abject. And amazingly menacing, their presence is enough to make one uncomfortable. Which does say a lot about people in general and how they react to deformity. Yet, in this case, it is simply impossible not to follow the formulaic rhetoric offered, ugly= horrifying.
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It should be added, however, that this same logic is not strictly adhered to. Ruby, although not as deformed as her kin, is far from normal and she acts as a redeeming force nonetheless. It could also be said that the very fact that she manages to show and feel mercy is only a proof that the actions of the rest were, indeed, the product of a choice and not the result of a genetic pre-disposition.
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Overall, this is a movie that is not afraid to show violence on screen, a raw and vicious kind of violence that is not diplomatic and makes no compromises with the audience's expectations.
And even though The Hills Have Eyes is a cult movie, it is, nonetheless, a coherent work of cinema that displays a mature and sophisticated attitude towards shooting a film.