The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

Director:

Wes Craven

Writer:

Wes Craven (written by)

Release Date:

22 July 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Just keep telling yourself it's only a film...It's only a film...

Plot:

On the way to California, a family has the misfortune to have their car break down in an area closed to the public, and inhabited by violent savages ready to attack.

Plot Keywords:

Gas Station | Desert | Cannibal | Map | Camping Trailer

Awards:

1 win

Cast

John Steadman	...	Fred
Janus Blythe	...	Ruby
Peter Locke	...	Mercury (as Arthur King)
Russ Grieve	...	Big Bob Carter
Virginia Vincent	...	Ethel Carter
Suze Lanier-Bramlett	...	Brenda Carter (as Susan Lanier)
Dee Wallace	...	Lynne Wood
Brenda Marinoff	...	Katy
Robert Houston	...	Bobby Carter
Martin Speer	...	Doug Wood
James Whitworth	...	Jupiter
Michael Berryman	...	Pluto
Lance Gordon	...	Mars
Cordy Clark	...	Mama
Flora	...	Beauty
Striker	...	The Beast

Directed by
Wes Craven

Writing credits
Wes Craven		(written by)

Produced by
Peter Locke	....	producer

Original Music by
Don Peake

Cinematography by
Eric Saarinen		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Wes Craven

Casting by
Gus Schirmer

Art Direction by
Robert A. Burns		(as Robert Burns)

Costume Design by
Joanne Jaffe

Makeup Department
Dave Ayres	....	special makeup
RaMona Fleetwood	....	hair stylist
Karen Grant	....	makeup artist: second unit
Ken Horn	....	special makeup
Donald Mulderick	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Walter R. Cichy	....	production manager (as Walter Cichy)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Valley Hoffman	....	assistant director

Art Department
Mary Church	....	props

Sound Department
Jill Debin	....	sound effects
David Lee Fein	....	sound effects
Craig Felburg	....	sound mixer: second unit
D.G. Fisher	....	assistant sound
Peter Hitchcock	....	sound effects
David Marsh	....	sound effects
Jan Schulte	....	sound mixer
Hal Watkins	....	re-recording engineer

Special Effects by
Greg Auer	....	special effects
John Frazier	....	special effects

Stunts
Alton James	....	stunts
Ron Stein	....	stunt coordinator
Ron Stein	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Carolyn Ames	....	best person: second unit
Dennis Bishop	....	gaffer
Larry Boyd	....	grip
Robert Eber	....	assistant camera: second unit (as Bob Eber)
Ray Fischer	....	still photographer
William Moore	....	grip (as Bill Moore)
Leslie Otis	....	assistant camera
Lynn Rogers	....	key grip
Richard Scheid	....	grip
Tim Wawrzeniak	....	assistant camera: second unit
Ken Wheeland	....	best boy

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Paula Cain	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Robert Alsheimer	....	assistant editor
J. Larry Carroll	....	set editor

Music Department
Don Peake	....	conductor

Other crew
Florence M. Amico	....	production assistant
Joanie Blum	....	script supervisor
Rick Braverman	....	script supervisor: second unit
Jim Dannaldson	....	snakes
Moe Di Sesso	....	dogs
Rhonda Hopkins	....	production assistant
Peter Locke	....	presenter
Tom Morrocco	....	dogs
Tom Pickette	....	location coordinator
Tom Pickette	....	location scout
Rose Marie Yurinko	....	assistant to producer

Production Companies

• Blood Relations Co.

Distributors

• Vanguard (I) (1977) (USA) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Astral Films (Canada)
• Atlantic Film (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• CMV Laservision (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (video)
• Future Film (1997) (Finland)
• Harmonyvision (1981) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• Image Entertainment (laserdisc)
• Magnum Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Starmaker Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Vestron Video (video)

Other Companies

• BT Industrial Supply  expendables (uncredited)
• Doneil Productions  sound effects
• Freeze Frame  titles
• MGM Laboratories  prints
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)  rerecording (as MGM)
• Movielab  film processing

Also Known As:

"Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes" - USA (LD title)

Runtime:

89 min | UK:86 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | USA:X (original rating) | USA:Unrated (unrated DVD version) | Finland:(Banned) (1986) | Finland:K-16 (1996) | Italy:VM14 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (cut) (1987) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | Germany:18 (uncut) (2008) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Portugal:M/18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Australia:R | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Apple Valley, California, USA

Company:

Blood Relations Co.

Trivia:

Virginia Vincent's reaction to being shot was quite genuine as there was a mishap with the squib planted under her robe. The small explosion caused her a deal of pain and she was briefly taken to the hospital.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: One brief nighttime shot of "Bobby" has been flipped: a cut on the right side of his face can be seen on the left hand side.

Quotes:

Ethel Carter:[while looking at a road map] We are not lost, we're right here somewhere on this little blue line.
Lynne Wood:This road is not a blue line, it's a dotted line, if it's even on the map at all!

Movie Connections:

References Deliverance (1972)

A classic horror film!

Despite being close to thirty years old, Wes Craven's "The Hills Have Eyes" maintains a distinct raw intensity - far surpassing the level of terror seen in horror films today. The plot in a nutshell; a family on vacation ventures from the main road, ends up stranded in the desert, and falls prey to a malevolent clan of inbred cannibals. Though the story idea may be far from original - it is the atmosphere, directorial style, and acting that raise the overall credibility of the film. The low budget and claustrophobic desert setting creates a sense of dread permeating throughout the entire film; while the grainy look of the print adds a sense of realism to the unfolding events. With a brisk running time of only 89 minutes the film doesn't waste a moment in setting the mood - then when all hell breaks loose it is unrelenting until the final scene. The actors portraying the Carter family bring sufficient emotional range to their characterizations, making it clearly evident that this a normal family being tested beyond the boundaries of civilized nature. It is also worth noting the performances by the actors who play Pluto and Mars (two of the baddies) - these characters are portrayed as both sadistic and devoid of any sympathy. Although the DVD print is grainy (as mentioned above), it is THE definitive version of the film and is thousands of times an improvement over the quality of the video release; quite amazing for a low budget film of this nature. Grim, violent, and symbolic; it is an amazing piece of 70's exploitation horror. "The Hills Have Eyes" is a classic in every sense of the word, and receives an 8/10.