The Hills Have Eyes (1977) ***

I started November off by watching A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) (my review here), so it’s only fitting that I’m (coincidentally) watching another Wes Craven film on the last day of the month. I've gone back and forth on ratings for The Hills Have Eyes (1977) over the years but I've settled back on 3 stars. 

I've seen THHE many times since my introduction some time in the 90s. I've owned the film on DVD, Blu-ray and now 4K UHD. I'm not sure how to categorize Hills—I don't quite consider it a classic but I do appreciate the gritty, low budget quality and there are some truly harrowing moments. There are also, unfortunately, some unintentionally humorous and goofy moments, much like Craven's previous film (not counting the porno he made in between), his disturbing 1972 debut, The Last House On The Left (though nothing in THHE is as egregious as TLHOTL).

THHE is heavily indebted to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) (my review here) and Craven didn't hide that fact. But while TCM has gone on to become one of the greatest horror films ever made, THHE certainly has not. Hills has its defenders and I myself have previously held the film in higher esteem than I do currently. That's not a knock on it per se—the rough-around-the-edges quality is a lot of the reason I like this nasty little revenge thriller as much as I do.

You can find my Wes Craven Feature Films Ranked list here.