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Susan Lanier, Robert Houston, Virginia Vincent, Russ Grieve, Dee Wallace ... see more see more... , Martin Speer , Brenda Marinoff , Kirk Stricker , James Whitworth , Cordy Clark , Janus Blythe , Michael Berryman , Lance Gordon , Arthur King , John Steadman , Flora

Horror auteur Wes Craven followed his threadbare but horrifically compelling cult classic Last House on the Left with this wonderfully demented morality fable about a bloody war of attrition between t... read more read more...wo extremely different families. The story opens on the journey of the Carters, a mildly dysfunctional extended family led by patriarch "Big Bob" Carter (Russ Grieve), as they travel across the California desert in search of an inherited silver mine. When a broken axle leaves them stranded in the middle of a former nuclear testing site, their attempts to find help lead them unwittingly into the territory of a savage family of cave-dwelling cannibals, the apparent progeny of the bearlike Jupiter (James Whitworth) and an abducted prostitute. Jupiter's eldest son Pluto (professional movie weirdo Michael Berryman) leads the first brutal attack on the defenseless Carters who, through necessity, are driven to equally extreme measures in order to survive. Though the film is not overtly bloody, the scenes depicting this confrontation are rendered with an unflinching directness, and the violations visited on the Carters are so brutal as to make the survivors' regression into savagery all the more convincing. No one is spared from the nightmare: Jupiter's boys have even kidnapped the youngest member of the Carter family -- a mere infant -- to serve as fodder for their next barbecue, and the baby becomes the main point of contention between the rival clans. Craven nevertheless refuses to take the easy way out by depicting his "monsters" as soullessly evil; parallels between either family's "values" are clearly drawn as the differences between the two clans begin to blur. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

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22 critics

R, 1 hr. 23 min.

Directed by: Wes Craven

Release Date: July 22, 1977

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DVD Release Date: September 23, 2003

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Flixster Reviews (1,812)

  • fb100002384654145
    April 27, 2012
    fb100002384654145
    More like "The Hills Have Idiots". This movie is pretty much Wes Craven ripping off "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", except ineptly executed. The cannibalistic family in this movie are a bunch of idiotic push-overs. They wear the stupidest clothing (the mother looked like a Nati... read moreve American while one was dressed as a caveman), and say the most laughable dialogue I've ever heard. At times it felt like the cannibal family was dying faster than the normal family, one of them was even killed by a dog. Not even the old man at the gas station seemed to have been afraid of them. The normal family in the film are bland and annoying, especially the sister in the shorty shorts. The script is very light on story and lacking in any compelling suspense or scares. The movie is not even bloody or gory, not that more blood makes a film better but so many critics hype this film up as being "brutal". It is not like the concept of this movie was too bad, but the combination of terrible direction and execution made this movie hard to watch for all the wrong reasons. Just like how the family's car breaks down and goes nowhere, this film goes nowhere. The filmmakers didn't even has the courtesy to give an actual ending, it just cuts off after a guy stabs one of the cannibals to death. How is this considered a minor horror classic? It wasn't even horrifying.
  • aquateen2
    April 7, 2012
    aquateen2
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]

    I prefer the remake because it did what this one did and then some. But whenever i'm in the mood for substance in a horror movie i'll watch this original version as food for thought. It's not Wes Craven'... read mores best piece of work but it deserves a bit more recognition than some of today's "horror" films. It's story is quite predictable and is clearly an obvious Texas Chainsaw Massacre rip off but it drew me into the environments of the desert and sympathised the protagonist family enough to keep me gripped and biting my nail's all the way through. There's a bit of gore but not a lot, but that's a good thing because it wasn't set up to scare anyone in that sort of way.
  • FilmFanatik
    February 22, 2012
    FilmFanatik
    Like a lot of Wes Craven's work, not all of it's perfect or is as impacting as some of it can tend to be with the right story. As a sort of exploitation sequel to The Last House on the Left and being a bit of a rip-off of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes is more i... read morentriguing in its title then the actual film is. I'm sure many of my friends are going to cry blasphemy by me saying this, but I have to tell you... this film just isn't that good. I think why people put it on such a pedestal is because of the scene of the attack on the family in the camper. For its time, I'm sure that that scene really got to people - especially when they shoot the old lady. Having seen other exploitation films push it completely over the top and go even further than that, this just fails to shock me in any way... even when the mutants run off with the baby. There's nearly an hour of build-up to almost nothing. Sure people die in horrible ways, but it's over in seconds, and the attackers aren't all that interesting in the first place. Well, except for Michael Berryman who does a pretty good job in his role. I do admire the film for being so gritty and sweltering-looking, but as a story it sucks. And now, all these years later, as an exploitation movie it sucks. I'm sure John Waters would love it, but as for me, I like my Wes Craven just a little bit more polished and a little bit more well thought-out than this.
  • blacksheepboy
    November 10, 2011
    blacksheepboy
    A cheap rip-off of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that is hard to care about, since the villains are disgusting perverts you want to see dead while the main characters act really stupid most of the time. By the end there is no room left for any moral question intended, for a matter ... read moreof life and death justifies just about anything.
  • ajv2688
    March 7, 2011
    ajv2688
    This movie is exciting for the most part, not very scary, though. The overall story is predictable, but there are a couple of surprises. I didn't like it, but I didn't think it was bad either, it was just too much like other horror movies at the time so it doesn't stand out. I... read moret's was pretty good, but it could have been a lot better.
  • TheGame90
    August 23, 2010
    TheGame90
    I'm not sure what to say. I thought I'd give Wes Craven another chance after Last house on the left. But this wasn't really that good. Didn't cut the mustard
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    June 9, 2010
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Wes Craven's 1977 film The Hill's Have Eyes is one of the most depraved and jaw dropping films in the horror genre. Wes Craven directs this awesome film with relish as the characters on screen are brutally stalked and murdered by a family of cannibals. With ever camera shot, Crav... read moreen makes you feel uneasy as the backdrop of the film is in the open and you end up feeling the same anguish as the characters on screen. The Hill's Have Eyes is a powerful Horror film and this is Wes Craven when he's just warming up. His Horror talents would culminate with 1984's Nightmare On Elm Street and 1989's Shocker. The Hill's Have Eyes is a film of raw, brutal intensity and is a wild ride from start to finish. The cast is pretty good as well, Dee Wallace and Michael Berryman are the best actors in this film and Wes Craven has cooked up an amazing film that you won't forget.
  • dreamfaeries
    December 4, 2009
    dreamfaeries
    Wow... it's so 1970's-ish. HA HA HA!!! Okay, seriously though, it may have been scary or tense back in the day, but it just made me laugh at how horrible it was. My decision... EH!
  • ythelastman89
    November 18, 2009
    ythelastman89
    You have to appreciate it for the time and for its originality. It's got a real creepy tone that isn't easy to pull off when your movie's set in broad daylight. You've got some great characters when it comes to the freaks, great acting as well. The other normal characters are so/... read moreso and their acting was even less impressive. The main aspect about the movie that draws such attention is the surreal nature of it. A lot like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre in that it makes you think twice about trusting people.
  • SirPant
    September 30, 2009
    SirPant
    A low budget horror classic. The genius in this film is matched only by its awfulness. You either love it or hate it. Cult viewing and well worth a watch!

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Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
July 22, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

A satisfying piece of pulp. Full Review

April 8, 2011
TV Guide's Movie Guide

One of the prime examples of the what was so fascinating about American horror films in the 1970s. Full Review

Charles Cassady
December 15, 2010
Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media

Beware! 70s horror film is ultra violent. Full Review

Phil Villarreal
March 9, 2006
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star

As disgusting as the movie is, the ride is never dull, but there's no need to take on the film to begin with unless there's something a little off inside your head. Full Review

Derek Adams
February 9, 2006
Derek Adams, Time Out

A heady mix of ironic allegory and seat-edge tension. Full Review

Christopher Null
March 7, 2004
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

Craven paints an interesting and uniquely bloody study of how 'normal' people will descend to the lowest depths in order to save themselves, but you'll have to suffer through a lot of tedium to get th... Full Review

Matt Brunson
November 4, 2003
Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing

Even a dog has his day, and among the few tolerable features helmed by Craven is this early cult item.

Walter Chaw
October 1, 2003
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central

As a mirror to the low-fi, sci-fi hero journey of Star Wars, however, The Hills Have Eyes is the far less damaging to its respective genre. Full Review

Eric Henderson
September 10, 2003
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine

Craven's latent sick streak gets a major workout here, and the rudest shocks seem to center around the "good" family's parental figures. Full Review

David Nusair
August 1, 2003
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...a sporadically effective Texas Chain Saw Massacre rip-off. Full Review

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  • What Wes Craven classic horror film had a poster in the basement of the creepy old cabin in Sam Raimi's "The Evil Dead"?  Answer »
  • Which movie has this tagline : " The lucky ones die first "  Answer »
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