Review of The Hills Have Eyes (1977) by Pure Rock Fury — 07 Sep 2008
Using today to look backwards, it is truly amazing that this movie was created by Wes Craven, a director who hasn't created an effective or memorable horror tale in nearly 2 decades. Unlike his recent bombs or his pop-horror tripe, "The Hills Have Eyes" holds up well enough amongst the best of 1970's horror films.
The atmosphere here is much better than the original, making good use of the surroundings to create a true sense of dread. Much in the same vein as "Night Of The Living Dead", this is a fairly solid rogue production and a decent story to boot, though it is slow to get off the ground.
The back half of this movie is where it succeeds, making up for the slow pace used to get going. Unlike the remake, this one is more in tune with its cannibalism subject matter, mainly in one scene that ends up being both funny and disturbing.
It's not the scariest film of its era, but it is a good choice for an impromptu horror fest at a friend's house on a Saturday night.
This review of The Hills Have Eyes (1977) was written by Pure Rock Fury on 07 Sep 2008.
The Hills Have Eyes has generally received positive reviews.
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