Review of The Hills Have Eyes (2006) by Dan C — 08 Jul 2013

I loved the 1977 original and was amazed at the quality of this remake. I doubted Aja after seeing the ridiculous High Tension, but I can see here that he can put his penchant for extreme violence to good use.

The story is solid, the acting excellent, and the gore ample but not excessive. It doesn't seem any more graphic than anything else yet it is treated like repugnant trash. All the better. Aja wrings an exceptional amount of pathos with some of the violence, and sickens with the rest.

It is realistic and hence disgusting. But it's amazing to watch Doug's transformation, and although, like much genre fare it is not perfect from a storytelling point of view, it is simply a violent rush.