The Hills Have Eyes

Oh my, we have entered a phase where horror films are getting sicker. I addressed this fact a couple of months ago with Hostel, a frightening torture film that didn’t pull punches as it sought to make the viewer as uncomfortable as possible. I had been complaining the last couple of years that the PG-13 horror-lite movies were pissing me off. With this latest crop of terror features, those of us who have been whining about wimpy horror films are getting payback with a vengeance. The latest in the slew of horror-torture movies is a remake of Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes, where a family on a cross-country trek encounters mutant cannibals. It’s everything a horror film should be and more. Monsters, heads blowing apart, various weapons of appendage destruction and sweet revenge are all wrapped up in a vile and somehow entertaining package. It’s the best mainstream horror film since that other successful remake, 2004’s Dawn of the Dead.