“When life takes its toll… we are all animals, we are all damned, my dear, we are just too afraid to see it”

From the moment I´ve been told my next movie to review was “The hills have eyes” I was very excited, I watched the 2007 remake a few years ago and it´s among the films that I love to watch over and over every time I have an opportunity, but this time I am not going to talk about the remake, I am going to talk about the original movie released in 1977, directed by Wes Craven, staring Susan Lanier, Michael Berryman and Dee Wallace.

It begins in a semi abandoned gas station, when a family (that looks like taken out of “The little house on the prairie”) decides to take the wrong turn on their way to LA after some relaxing vacations, the old man in the gas station gives them a warning… NOT TO LEAVE THE MAIN ROAD, but oh well… our folks seem to be looking for adventure and they will certainly find some adventure time there.

When the car loses control, they are stuck in the middle of nowhere, desolation all around, two men decide to split and go for help, the rest of them, including a baby girl, stay as the night starts approaching, none of them suspect that they are being observed, those who watch them with twenty eyes may not know how to use a fork, but they know enough about using a knife, surviving, killing, burning, destroying, and guess what else… yes, eating human flesh!

Savages, hiding, waiting in the shadows, not afraid of dying, not afraid of murdering, they tasted the blood before and they want more, really, you don´t want to hang out with these guys unless you are one of them. They wait until night to make their stellar show, fire everywhere, the odor of the burning flesh, can´t be anything good, just a warning YOU WILL NEVER GET OUT OF HERE ALIVE.

“You bet your life, because hills have eyes, hell on earth is not so bad, living hell is not so bad” Now, quoting The Misfits and the song Earth AD (1983, written by Glenn Danzig) seems quite accurate.

Now city people need to put their brains into primitive mode, no comfort, no tv, no radio, no communication, nothing can keep them safe, they should start working if they want to last. The baby girl was stolen, members of the family died, they only have a gun and a dog, savagery is the spicy ingredient in this movie and the location, takes away every hope.

The hills have eyes was directed as I said before by Wes Craven who also did iconic movies like:  “A nightmare on elm street”, “The last house on the left”, and “Scream”, To add some extra info, Pluto, one of the mutants, is portrayed by the notorious Michael Berryman, who actually in real life suffers from a rare condition that makes him live with no sweat glands, no hair no teeth or fingernails… this means no special effects for him to look creepy as hell, and a not less important fact about this movie, is that Craven based the characters living in the hills on a twisted cannibal family that terrorized Scotland during the 15^th century known as “The Bean clan”.

 I got nothing left to add, I found the movie so enthralling that very soon will be watching the sequel. Enraged mutants, an eerie location, and despair…  I really bet you´re gonna like it!