Let's delve into the eerie world of horror remakes and explore the fascinating story behind the 2006 film, The Hills Have Eyes. This movie, a brutal and unsettling remake of Wes Craven's 1977 classic, has left an indelible mark on the horror genre, and its legacy is worth examining.
The Rise of Horror Remakes
The early 2000s witnessed a resurgence of horror remakes, with Hollywood drawing inspiration from both international and domestic sources. It was a time when audiences craved fresh takes on familiar scares, and directors like Wes Craven were at the forefront of this trend.
Craven, having experienced success with the Scream trilogy, was approached with the idea of remaking his own films. While he initially resisted, the financial success of other horror remakes, such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Amityville Horror, piqued his interest. The Hills Have Eyes, a project close to his heart, became the focus of his attention.
Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur's Vision
The search for the right creative team led Craven and producer Marianne Maddalena to French filmmakers Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur. Their intense and multifaceted approach to horror, showcased in High Tension, impressed Craven, who saw in them the perfect directors to breathe new life into The Hills Have Eyes.
Aja and Levasseur's vision for the remake was bold. They wanted to maintain the core premise of the original—a family's fight for survival against violent cannibals in the desert—but with a unique twist. They reimagined the villains' origins, tying them to the real-world horrors of nuclear testing and radiation.
The Real-World Inspiration
The filmmakers' research delved into the disturbing reality of radiation victims from Hiroshima and Chernobyl. They used this as a basis for their concept art, aiming to create mutants that felt disturbingly real rather than fantastical. The result was a family of villains that was both terrifying and grounded in a disturbing truth.
Casting the Carter Family and the Mutants
The cast of The Hills Have Eyes was a mix of horror veterans and rising stars. Ted Levine, known for his iconic role in The Silence of the Lambs, played the patriarch Big Bob Carter. The supporting cast included Kathleen Quinlan, Vinessa Shaw, Aaron Stanford, and Emilie de Ravin, each bringing their unique talent to the film.
Casting the mutants required a different approach. Actors had to endure extensive makeup and perform physically demanding stunts. Robert Joy, Ezra Buzzington, Michael Bailey Smith, Billy Drago, and Laura Ortiz brought these terrifying characters to life, with Smith's performance as Pluto so impressive that he returned for the sequel.
Extreme Gore and the Deleted Scene
The 2006 remake embraced a brutal style, a departure from the more restrained original. Legendary effects house KNB FX created the film's makeup and gore, using early 3D modeling technology to customize prosthetics for each actor. Some transformations, like Robert Joy's Lizard makeup, took hours to achieve.
One planned sequence, involving kittens being blended to death, was rejected by Craven due to concerns over imitation. This deleted scene, along with other cuts, helped the film avoid an NC-17 rating, but it also removed a layer of extreme brutality from the movie.
Filming in the Moroccan Desert
The production conditions were as harsh as the film itself. Temperatures exceeded 120 degrees during filming, and the crew faced the challenges of shooting in such an unforgiving environment. The choice of Morocco as a location added to the film's authenticity, with the fully constructed gas station set often mistaken for a real establishment.
Critical and Commercial Success
The Hills Have Eyes was a commercial success, opening in third place at the box office and eventually grossing over $70 million worldwide. Its popularity continued on home video, especially with the release of the unrated edition. Despite mixed critical reviews, horror fans have embraced the film, considering it one of the best horror remakes ever made.
The film's legacy includes a sequel, The Hills Have Eyes 2, which, while divisive, has its own dedicated fan base. The Craven family was involved in this sequel, with Wes Craven co-writing and producing alongside his son Jonathan.
Conclusion
The Hills Have Eyes remake is a testament to the power of horror remakes when done right. It reimagined a classic with a unique twist, drawing inspiration from real-world horrors to create a deeply unsettling experience. The film's success, both critically and commercially, solidifies its place as one of the standout horror remakes of the 21st century.
So, the next time you find yourself on a family road trip through the desert, remember the Hills Have Eyes, and be grateful that this terrifying tale remains just a movie.
