Released on March 10, 2006, Fox Searchlight Pictures’ horror movie reboot The Hills Have Eyes is one of the very best examples of a horror remake done right – proving that such an effort can be done. Directed by Crawl helmer Alexandre Aja, the screenplay was written by Aja and Gregory Lavasseur. The film is a direct remake of the original 1977 movie of the same name, which was directed by Wes Craven and starred Michael Berryman and Dee Wallace.
The rebooted version of the story from Aja bears a very similar premise to the original movie. It follows a suburban family who all wind up fighting for their lives after they become stranded in the desert in the middle of a road trip and are targeted by cannibalistic mutants living in the nearby hills and caves. Ultra gritty and incredibly violent, the horrific story originally earned the remake a NC-17 rating before necessary edits were made to have it rated R.
New versions of the original characters are present in the remake as well, including Ted Levine and Kathleen Quinlan as Bob and Ethel Carter with Dan Byrd, Emilie de Ravin, and Vinessa Shaw playing their children. Aaron Stanford also stars as their son-in-law, Doug, who turns into a total badass by the end of the film. Doug and his wife also have two awesome German Shepherds, Beauty and Beast, the latter of which becomes even more dangerous than Doug. Seriously, when it comes to cinema’s all-time greatest animals, Beast has got to be right up there at the top.
Although The Hills Have Eyes was criticized by known horror-hater Roger Ebert, it overcame the mixed reviews to find success at the box office. It has also developed a strong cult following in the years since, especially as Aja has only become more beloved as a horror filmmaker. I would guess that a big reason why the film has done so well compared to many other horror movie remakes is that it seems Aja has found the right balance with how to approach them. There are enough familiar events to recognize the homage to the original film, yet enough interesting differences to keep it feeling fresh.
Who knew remaking a Wes Craven classic could produce such awesome results? Though the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street is not without its supporters, it’s nearly universally-panned by fans of the genre. It’s also worth noting that the film had no involvement whatsoever from Craven, making it that much more difficult to recreate his original vision. Perhaps the biggest edge The Hills Have Eyes going for it is that Craven had a heavy hand with development, producing the project and spearheading the remake’s production himself.
Of course, even with Craven’s blessings, remaking The Hills Have Eyes effectively was going to take some talent. By now, most horror fans are aware of Aja’s work and he is considered to be a favorite in the genre. Back then, however, all Craven and company had to go on was Aja’s French horror film High Tension. Seeing the potential in the filmmaker, Aja was hired to helm The Hills Have Eyes with his High Tension co-writer Gregory Lavasseur helping with the script. As they say, the rest is history.
Because the film was a hit at the time, it was given a sequel the very next year. This time, Craven and his son Jonathan wrote the screenplay with German filmmaker Martin Weisz directing. It also features some of our favorite genre stars in the film, including Derek Mears and Jeff Kober. However, The Hills Have Eyes 2 did not reach the same levels of success as the 2006 remake, effectively ending the film franchise once again. This is not dissimilar to what happened with the original The Hills Have Eyes Part 2, which currently sits at a 0% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is not nearly as revered as its predecessor.
In any case, if you ask me, the 2006 version of The Hills Have Eyes is just as strong as the original from 1977. Though it also has the added benefit of coming out at a time before theaters were seemingly flooded with nothing but reboots and remakes, the film stands out as one of the best horror movie remakes of all time. If Hollywood must insist on continuing to push these kinds of projects out, then perhaps the filmmakers who take them on can learn a thing or two by studying The Hills Have Eyes.
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