An extended nuclear family is on a road trip from Ohio to Los Angeles when their station wagon towing a trailer breaks down and they get stranded in the middle of the desert.
As you definitely assumed, some cannibalistic mutants show up to party with them and what we have is Halloween movie #13… The Hills Have Eyes.
Gas siphoning. Military jet buzzing. Backseat driving. Front seat driving. Thoughts and prayers. A ‘retirement howitzer’ (firearms enthusiasts will better recognize it as a Colt Python w/ 4″ Barrel and factory wood grips .357). Paranoia. Flashlight jogging. Night taunts. A retro Ohio State tee. And more than a few communications via walkie-talkies.
Allegorical implications a’plenty (Is it a metaphor/indictment of American exceptionalism? A colonizers vs colonized story? Vietnam? An indictment/celebration of counterculture?).
Perhaps just a subversive Coca-Cola advertisement?
The Hills Have Eyes is a sprawling (yet claustrophobic), unrelenting trip into the darkest realms of humanity’s instincts and fears. The kind of flick better watched on a rainy Saturday afternoon if you’re prone to being scared of claustrophobic vibes.
“You always try to stop trespassers by hanging yourself?”
As unpleasant as unpleasant movies get of the era. Even horrifying/disgusting by future torture-porn (Hostel, Saw) standards.
Are there some undesirable and troubling elements that are gratuitous? Maybe.
As a time capsule, it’s interesting to note that some of the more controversial subject matter contained/covered has a purpose when examining the larger themes at play about historical colonialism.
Terrifying. Strange. Unnerving.
Once a trashy B-movie, now considered a cult classic in every sense.
Written, directed, and edited masterfully by Wes Craven.
Currently streaming on Hulu as part of Huluween.
There’s a 2006 remake that was terrifying at the time, but I haven’t revisited… so I’ll hesitate on recommending that one.
One dollar.
Recommendations for further viewing: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Wrong Turn (2003), Funny Games (1997)