The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

Directed by Wes Craven. Starring Susan Lanier, Robert Houston, Martin Speer, and James Whitworth. USA, Color, 89 minutes.

The same year Star Wars and Smokey and the Bandit were hitting the screens and making an impact, The Hills Have Eyes, Wes Craven's second feature after the abysmal The Last House on the Left, was released to a generally unprepared audience, scaring and shocking its way to eventual cult status in the United States. It still scares people across the nation 30 years later.

The Carter family, on their way to California, find themselves in the middle of a desert in the middle of nowhere. When they venture off the main road, they lose control of their car and crash in a ditch. When one of their dogs is found dead in the rocky hills surrounding their feeble campfire, the Carters shut themselves inside their camper. But not before someone else has found their way in and terrorized the family - a cannibalistic family of degenerates hiding in the hills and hungry for their next dinner.

Wes Craven's films are always unique and interesting, and this one is no exception. It explores the same themes as Last House, but in a much more blatant and recognizable way. The Carters find themselves in danger of being wiped out by another family, and they respond by murdering those who were threatening to murder them. This is a very down-to-earth theme found in a very raw and sensational film, and it becomes even more prominent in the final moments of the film, when the Carter family brutalize cannibals Papa Jupe and Mars.

The film's impact is strengthened by the creepy location and very realistic and surprisingly strong emotional range expressed by every member of the cast. Wes Craven's direction is aided by the superb film editing and unexpected scares . . . While other films of this period often rely on cliches and false scares, The Hills Have Eyes uses wit and style to scare audiences in new ways.

While it is a little dated, this Wes Craven thriller manages to remain harrowing and genuinely scary. Craven manages to keep a sense of urgency and terror throughout the entire running time, keeping us on edge and unprepared for the next scare. Watch The Hills Have Eyes and try not to squirm in your seat.