Time: 89 Minutes
Age Rating: R18 – Violence
Russ Grieve as Big Bob Carter
Virginia Vincent as Ethel Carter
Susan Lanier as Brenda Carter
Robert Houston as Bobby Carter
Dee Wallace as Lynne Wood
Martin Speer as Doug Wood
Michael Berryman as Pluto
Director: Wes Craven

A series of unfortunate events befall a suburban family when they get stranded on their way to California and are attacked by a group of psychotic cannibals.

I had heard of The Hills Have Eyes for a while, it was one of Wes Craven’s earlier movies and was something of a cult classic, though I somehow heard more about its 2000s remake. I went into it fairly blind and I found it to be decent enough.

The plot is very similar to Texas Chainsaw Massacre (which was released 3 years prior), with it depicting a suburban family trying to survive a cannibalistic family. However, I don’t think The Hills Have Eyes is nearly as good as that earlier movie. I wasn’t that invested in the story, but it does benefit from being straightforward and simple. It can get disturbing, seedy and sleazy, and especially plays on the fear of the unknown. However, it is somewhat pulpy and campy at the same time, which does give it some enjoyment too. The pacing is a little off, even with its short length of 90 minutes, but its fairly consistent in the second half.

Most of the acting is hit or miss, and the characters aren’t that interesting. However, some of the rough performances is at least in line with the rest of the movie. Even if the main characters aren’t that interesting, the villains are at least memorable, if cartoonish, and their actors including Michael Berryman are pretty good in their parts.

This isn’t one of Wes Craven’s best looking movie, it’s very low budget and rough around the edges. However, he does direct it pretty well. The low budget production helps to give it a raw and gritty aesthetic. There are some suspenseful and intense sequences, its grizzly, gross and disturbing at times, and the practical effects are solid. The desert setting particularly feels like place of danger where anything could happen, even if its during the day, giving the film an effective atmosphere of dread.

The Hills Have Eyes is a messy and low budget, but nonetheless highly effective horror movie; bleak, intense, and directed very well by Wes Craven. It is very dated and far from Craven’s best, but is worth watching if you’re a horror fan and especially a fan of him.