Dir: Wes Craven
Cast: Susan Lanier, Robert Houston, Martin Speer,
Dee Wallace Stone, Michael Berryman, Russ
Grieve, James Whitworth, Janus Blythe
Rated R, Approx: 89 minutes
Anchor Bay DVD
of Wes Craven, look no further
than this 70s classic.
difficult task deciding what move to make after 1972's classic stomach churner, Last House on the Left. 'Hills'
retains some of 'Last House's' rawness but isn't quite as much an exercise in human depravity. The overall feeling
makes it seem to me that Tobe Hooper's Texas Chainsaw Massacre had a bit of an influence on Craven in this
outing.
violent, certainly not for the faint of heart. We get an in depth look at the human instinct for survival by comparing
two mirror families, one "civilized" and the other barbaric cannibals. We find out that they are equally as savage
when in comes down to kill or be killed. The classic tag line for this movie reads, "A nice American family. They
didn't want to kill. But they didn't want to die." This fits the movie much better than an alternate, which makes it seem
like another in a long line of 'Last House' clones, "Just keep telling yourself it's only a film it's only a film..."
gets stranded in the middle of the desert when their car breaks down. They are brought under siege by a family of
bizarre cannibals. The battle for survival that ensues is one of the most intense things I've ever witnessed; people
are shot, stabbed, burned alive, snake bitten, dragged kicking and (loudly) screaming across the desert, infants are
stolen, and dogs are gutted! This movie is greatly benefited by a gritty feel and Craven's relentless vision. You can
almost taste the dust from the sweltering desert and the family of cannibals are some of the most utterly terrifying
screen villains I've ever seen (in contrast, I met Michael Berryman a few years ago and he was unbelievably friendly!
I could hardly believe I was talking to the man behind Pluto!).
timer, Fred, warning the Carters to steer clear of the desert. Dee Wallace-Stone is always interesting as the young
mother, Lynn. James Whitworth is intimidating as Papa Jupiter (even if his disappearing scars are difficult to take
seriously). Stealing the show though, are Lance Gordon as Mars and Michael Berryman as Pluto. Gordon portrays
one of the most vile and ruthless bastards I've seen this side of David Hess. With his rotten teeth and nasty
demeanor, ("Ruby, bring out the baby!") he terrifies and disgusts in every frame he's in. As for Berryman, one can't
help but think of him when thinking of Hills. He's as much a reason for the films endurance as Craven himself. He
has an onscreen presence that just can't be duplicated, a true horror icon!
respectively. Never have I rooted for an onscreen pooch like I have for The Beast! I'd also like to mention Cordy
Clark in the role of Mama for having one of the most hilariously underwritten parts I've ever seen. In any other film
this probably wouldn't work, but here it was just fine.
Mihailoff.
available. The video releases run the gamut from okay to piss poor. Image Entertainment released a laserdisc a
while back but it was a pan & scan print. I have not seen this yet, but would love to see a widescreen transfer. There
is no DVD yet, nor is there any immediate plan for one. I recently heard Michael Felsher from Anchor Bay address
this issue saying that they were interested but have not been able to get the rights. I would love to see this happen
seeing as Anchor Bay has done more for the genre in terms of quality releases than any other company in recent
memory.
made in the 70s. So if you have a taste for horror on the ugly and violent side, I would highly recommend this one to
you!
cannibals out of 5!
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