The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

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.

Director:

Wes Craven

Writer:

Wes Craven

Stars:

Suze Lanier-Bramlett, Robert Houston, John Steadman

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

A family going to California accidentally goes through an Air Testing range closed to the public. They crash and are stranded in a desert. They are being stalked by a group of people, which have not emerged into modern times.

---

Plot Keywords:

gas station | desert | cannibal | grindhouse film | drive in classic | 

---

Taglines:

Camping out with the family can be murder.

---

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

When originally submitted to the MPAA, the film was given an X-rating which would have relegated it to the porno circuit and severely hurt the box-office returns. Wes Craven cut the film enough to secure an R rating, and the original director's cut is thought to be no longer in existence.

---

Goofs

(at around 1h 15 mins) When Jupiter and Pluto are running down the wash, just prior to Beast attacking Pluto, you can see a couple of equipment bags belonging to cast or crew sitting at the right side of the wash.

---

Quotes

Mars: Baby's fat. You fat... fat and juicy.

---

Alternate Versions

Also of note in the Jaguar/World of Video 2000 release is the editing of the sequence with Bob's decapitated head. There are great chunks of the film cut away at points where you see his head, although it is visible for a couple of seconds. This affects the coherency of Papa Jupiter's speech.

---

Connections

Referenced in Jack the Reaper (2011)

User Reviews

Heavy On Atmosphere, Heavier On Brutality.

"The Hills Have Eyes" is personally one of my favorite horror films of the '70s era, I'd say this one is just below Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". I love the whole atmosphere the film gives off, and how brutal the film is. "The Hills Have Eyes" follows a normal American family on a camping trip who accidentally crash their station wagon and trailer in the middle of the California desert. The gang consists of Bob and Ethel, and their teenage children Bobby and Brenda, and their adult daughter Lynne and her husband and infant. Their father goes out for help, while the rest of them wait at the trailer, but they are unknowingly being watched by a family of cannibalistic mountain people that are hungry for flesh. As night falls, the clan of mountain-dwelling cannibals close in on the family, attacking their little safe-haven Airstream trailer, and begin to brutally slaughter each of them as they fight to save their lives.

One of the more memorable exploitation films from the 1970s, this gruesome little chiller is a nice addition to the list. Wes Craven, writer and director of this movie, does a great job at setting a mood, atmosphere, and having plenty of scary moments throughout. The desert in the film is eerie itself, it's such an empty and genuinely creepy landscape for a horror film to be set in. Along with this is the brutality factor - this is a harrowing little movie. The violence is shocking and strangely realistic, and it makes it more unsettling than it could have been. I can see why Mr. Craven has gone on to direct so many other successful horror films, such as "Scream" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street", because he's good at what he does.

The acting here isn't bad, we have Dee Wallace Stone ("E.T.", "Cujo"), but most of the other actors are unknowns, who give decent performances. Some of the acting was admittedly over the top and a little laughable at times, but what could you expect from a low-budget '70s horror flick? This film comes to a close in a rather odd way, fading out into a red screen. The ending was surely abrupt and I'm sure there were other, better ways to conclude the story. But, again, the rough abruptness is another addition to the movie's raw atmosphere and visceral quality. This isn't a pleasant movie, and I think anyone who has seen it can agree on that.

Bottom line - "The Hills Have Eyes" is one of the best horror/exploitation films to come from the '70s era. Not the best, but it is definitely close to it. It's brutal, raw, unsettling, and it made me uncomfortable. Any movie that has the power to do that must really have something going for it. Definitely worth a watch, it's a classic midnight-movie. One of my many personal favorites. If you like this, I'd also recommend Craven's debut picture, "Last House On The Left", which is also a visceral exploitation B-movie classic. 9/10.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 July 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blood Relations

Filming Locations:

Apple Valley, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$230,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blood Relations Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby (Double Tension System) (Japan theatrical release)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1