[8]

Stranded in the desert on their way to California, a family is attacked by savage cannibals in this brutal, low-budget horror flick from writer/director Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream). Some of the family members go for help while the others huddle up in their camper for a night-long siege. But no one is safe as the cannibals start claiming lives. When they kidnap the family’s baby, the survivors charge into the rocky hillsides to rescue the infant at any cost.

I’m a sucker for grainy, old horror movies shot on 16mm (like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or Shock Waves), and this is up there with the best of those ‘grindhouse’-style movies. I love the desolate setting and the palpable atmosphere of dread and terror Craven achieves, especially when the cannibals break into the camper at the half-way point. I also like that you get to know the entire family before Craven starts killing them off. No one is safe, not even the pets or the baby. The casting isn’t top-tier, but it’s serviceable. Dee Wallace (E.T., The Howling) is the most convincing player. Michael Berryman, as one of the cannibals, is also memorable — especially for his odd, distinctive facial features.

The villainous cannibal family are the weakest part of the movie, dressed in unconvincing, trendy apocalypse-wear, and behaving a little too much like the bizarre family in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Less time spent with them, especially less dialogue, might have upped the fear factor even higher. But overall, The Hills Have Eyes is a taut film that hits the ground running, a high-tension creep-fest that should satisfy both newcomers and those nostalgic for that gritty drive-in horror vibe.

With Susan Lanier, Robert Houston, Russ Grieve, Virginia Vincent, James Whitworth, Janus Blythe, Lance Gordon, and John Steadman.