This Day in Horror History: THE HILLS HAVE EYES Was Released in 2006
Josh Millican
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Horror fans who came of age during the genre’s Golden Era are mighty skeptical of remakes–and with good reason. Many of them are cash-grabs that use nostalgia as a weapon to separate moviegoers from their money. Some, however, manage to do right by their source material; an even smaller number still surpass the films they’re based on (both critically and financially). The Hills Have Eyes, released in 2006, (a reimagining of Wes Craven’s film of the same name from 1977) is one of these rare remakes.
Hardcore horror fans were already familiar with Alexandre Aja for his extreme French film High Tension, but The Hills Have Eyes was his first English Language feature. As such, it propelled him into the limelight, and he’s since become one of the most sought-after directors in horror. He worked on additional remakes, like 2010’s Piranha 3D (which he directed) and 2012’s Maniac (which he wrote). Other prominent flicks on his filmography include P2, Mirrors, Horns, The 9th Life of Louis Drax, and Crawl (one of 2019’s best).
Related Article: JOSH MILLICAN’S TOP 10 HORROR MOVIES OF 2019
If it’s been a while, check out the trailer and synopsis for The Hills Have Eyes below.
Synopsis:
Bob Carter and his wife Ethel, along with five other members of the family, are heading for San Diego with their camper vans. An accident strands them in the desert and while two of the men go for help, the others are forced to wait. They’re unaware that they’ve ended up stuck near the site where, decades earlier, nuclear tests gave rise to a group of mutant monsters who have developed a taste for human flesh.
The Hills Have Eyes stars Ted Levine, Kathleen Quinlan, and Dan Byrd.
Trivia:
The mutants were created by CGI, physical effects or both. Most of the mutants with full deformations were created by prosthetic makeup. But the deformed children who were playing were digitally distorted using tracking dots on their faces. Ruby was a mixture of the two, using the tracking dots for distortion and prosthetic teeth. (Source)
Are you a fan of 2006’s The Hills Have Eyes? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.
Categorized:News This Day in Horror
