Gruesome? Yes. Scary? Well...

Rating: 4/10 (28 March 2009)

The first time I saw this movie, I had never seen the original. Afterwards, I tracked it down and was able to compare the two. Unfortunately, it made the remake seem like even more of a letdown.
The basic story is familiar enough. Family in RV is driving through the badlands, their tires get blown out and they end up stranded. Pretty soon, some nasty mutants show up and set the dad of the family on fire before raping the young daughter and suckling on the oldest daughter before shooting her and taking the baby. So it's up to the slightly nerdy son in law to rescue his child from the mutant freaks.
I can honestly say that I spent the first 45 minutes of this movie bored out of my mind. It was way too by the numbers for me. It wasn't until the mutants made a bonfire with the old man as the kindling that I felt anything. But I think that was more disgust with the teen girl being raped as her dad burned followed by the other sister getting sucked and blown away. After that, there wasn't much more worth mentioning, save for a creepy scene where the son in law hides in a freezer full of body parts.
In the end, this movie just sort of exists. While not nearly as bad as it's sequel (do NOT see that one), it lacks anything really scary. There's a decent bit of gore and some disturbing moments but nothing that will make you sleep with the light on. Worth a rental if you're curious but otherwise, go with the original.