The Hills Have Eyes - Hügel der blutigen Augen

Für die heutigen Verhältnisse ist es ein delikater Mordfilm, dessen Höhepunkt praktisch die letzten zwei Drittel des Films dauert. Saftig, morbid, visuell attraktiv, angemessen actionmäßig und schwarzhumorig. Das Drehbuch ist ein deutliches Upgrade des einfacheren Originals von Wes Craven aus dem Jahr 1977. (19.09.2006)

Suitably brutal for Aja (unrated version), with some delicious murders, but otherwise a step backwards compared to High Tension. The first half, including the attack on the caravan, was still decent, capable of sending chills down the spine. But in the second half the tension fades and it’s replaced by heroic pathos and clichés that buried even those extremely tense situations that should make the viewer tremble with fear. That's also why I wasn't worried about the main characters, which is bad. Aja is a very capable director but struggles with bad scripts. PS: Parrot lovers won’t be happy. (18.06.2006)

Aja shows audiences an exhibition of bloody violence in the most stylish form currently available. With a perfect rendering of the psychological attachments to the individual characters (a very uncertain order on the death certificate!) and the utmost sense of craftsmanship in handling the tension, the horror, and the viewer's disgust, the director really does work miracles. The excellent soundtrack often does much more than the standard "jump-scare" and the endless desert environment is also quite unpleasant. However, it somewhat falters due to the poorly chosen script, but it is one in which a good dose of cynical detachment kicks in, meaning that the overly pathetic ending so many people talk about is more so funny, and I mean that in a good way. This is because the American national anthem sung by the mutant, or the entrance of one of the protagonists with a shotgun in hand to the accompaniment of an ultra-heroic musical score clearly proves that Aja has his head screwed on straight in addition to his talent. And if the plot of his next film is less predictable, it's clearer than ever that things will still happen in Hollywood thanks to this young Frenchman. (27.07.2006)

I have long lost any understanding of these types of productions, and the only adjective that comes to mind in connection with the film is "stupid." Even the timid hints of some atmosphere, which, however, fail due to the director's creative incapability and the demented script, are replaced with a completely linear massacre in the second half, which can only provoke aggression, but certainly not fear. In this film, nothing really makes sense, and it doesn't make sense to ponder too much about the logic of the plot. Overall impression: 10%. By the way, the attempt to graft some message about the danger of nuclear explosions and weapons of mass destruction onto this madness is completely out of place considering the quality of what is shown... (24.05.2010)

With the floodgates bursting on bloody horror crammed with family values, there was so much talk about The Hills Have Eyes that despite my dislike for this subgenre, I gave it a try. But the journey with the Carter family doesn't work, and neither does the bloodthirsty Alexandre Aja or unfortunately, beautiful Emilie de Ravin. The praised attack on the caravan proved to be nothing more than a bloody massacre, and the rest was just skillfully directed humdrum. A stupid and trivial spectacle that merely cleverly hit the cravings of its target audience. (16.07.2006)