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This movie freaked me the hell out when I first caught it on pay-cable (probably Wometco Home Theater, which showed local UHF programming -- like The Uncle Floyd Show -- until the movies kicked in at night: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wometco_Home_Theater). It's got a lot of moving parts: broken-down-car-in-the-middle-of-nowhere, slasher flick, good family vs. (creatively designed) evil family, revenge flick, social commentary, brutal violence, cannibalism, desert mutation, and a dog. 

This is where most folks first encountered horror movie icons Michael Berryman (unless they caught him as one of the patient inmates in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest) and Dee Wallace (unless they missed this and first saw her in The Howling, like I'm pretty sure I did).

This is probably my favorite Wes Craven film along with Nightmare on Elm Street. To be transparent, I'm not a big fan, haven't seen last House on The Left or any of the Scream films or Deadly Friend. I thought People Under The Stairs was okay, the ramp-up to and ending killed it for me. So, take it my opinion for what it is, I know he's beloved and all that. The Hills Have Eyes is way better than Shocker and Deadly Blessing, that you can take to the bank, my friends. And it's way better than the horrendous sequel, which in a sane universe would have ended Craven's career. If you didn't see the credits to the second movie, you'd think it was made by a sworn enemy of the Craven clan, hellbent on sabotaging his career. Pure fucking embarrassment in every single category. Craven's output and the films themselves are just so inconsistent (and he sure made a lot of stuff). Maybe it's just me. Well, most folks hated Shocker. Craven kind of mystifies me. Maybe he had narcolepsy, a coke habit and three ex-wives he paid alimony to, and he just rolled the dice as quickly as possible. He hit the jackpot  twice. Who knows. 

Well, I guess Wikipedia knows, but I want to get more drawings done tonight. I'm never going to make 31 by midnight but I really wanted to finish by this weekend. It's been fun and it's been therapy. mentally, not physically. The hand's been a mess this month. I've got six Salonpas sitting on me like parasites right now as I type this. Life could be worse. I could be watching The Hills Have Eyes 2. 

Is the remake any good? I haven't had any interest but you never know. I mean, you can assume, but you really don't know until you sit through something. I'm one of those goofs who kinda wants to see everything eventually, impossible as that is. Except Cannibal Holocaust, Cannibal Ferox, Salo (I tried) and A Serbian Movie. I can miss those. 

But again, you never know. I've seen The Garbage Pail Kids Movie.

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Comments

Elwyn Chow

I think I encountered him in either "Weird Science" or Star Trek The Next Generation before THHE.

Erik C. Jones

I really dig the remake, but I was 19 when it was in the the theater, so who knows if it holds up. Good creature designs by Nicotero and maybe my favorite experience in the the theater when one of the bad guys gets killed.

Evan Dorkin

Gaaah! I misnumbered the drawing (fixed it on the drawing). The Hills Have Eyes, But They Don't Got Brains.

Russell Grant

I liked the remake as well. Directed by Alexandre Aja who's one of the few directors that came around in the 2000s and wasn't afraid to go all out instead of constantly winking at the camera. even his goofy Piranha remake went way over the line in a fun way to be entertaining. I'm a fan of what I've seen from him. The sequel to the remake is almost as terrible as Craven's own sequel. Fitting I guess.