Not for children under 16, tacky and terrifying, this remake is far superior to the original film.

In 1977, five years after the traumatic Last House on the Left of Extreme Violence, Wes Craven once again tortured audiences with The Hill Has Eyes. Inspired by a gruesome story about a Scottish cannibalistic family that ambushed travelers in the early 17th century, Wes Craven set his story in California.

There, the family moved into the desert under the pretext of visiting a silver mine they had inherited. One accident and he finds himself isolated in the rocky and desolate hills. From the top of the hills, a tribe of savages watched over them… starting with “Pluto,” the degenerate cannibal of the family, played by the disturbing Michael Berryman.

Below, the trailer, as a reminder…

Voluntarily deviated and glucose film, which is still prohibited under 16, became a cult. Almost 30 years later, Wes Craven gives his blessing to start a remake of his film (he will even be a producer), entrusting the 27-year-old with the favor of Alexander Aya, who directed it. His second film, after the highly acclaimed Haute Tension.

A wiser choice. If Aja largely nurtured the genre films that lined the shelves of video clubs, obviously there was no need to betray the essence of the source material. “It’s a daunting project, it’s still a film that we’ve seen many times, that we know by heart. How can we reinvent it, and especially why reinvent it?” He told us when we met at the release of the film.

If I love The Hill Has Eyes so much, it’s because Michael Berryman is in it. For the appearance of boys in the mountains. A slightly kitschy side to the acting. There is also a side of dark humor that I love. The idea was to reinvent it, in a scarier way, much more access to the survival side, which would be more at the heart of a film like this. to give or Stray dogs. Much more than the ‘simple’ cannibal side in the hills dressed in fur and feathers.’

The least we can say is that Aja did not lie by declaring this belief. Because let’s be honest: his 2006 vintage version of The Hill Has Eyes is, according to many fans, far superior to the original film. Which doesn’t happen often when we talk about remakes, to be honest…

It was released at a time when cinemas were regularly flooded with a wave of branded films Torture pornBetween Saw and other hostels, Mountains have eyes It is a film of incredible brutality and brutality. It will initially be stamped NC-17 in the United States; Had to plan significantly on violence to achieve an “R” rating by the MPAA, a strict no to 17-year-olds. In any case, its ban under the age of 16 in France is justified.

Armed with tense staging, to test the nerves more than once, this sticky and visceral remake (in the most literal sense of the term, moreover…) with a subversive political subject is undoubtedly one of his best films. Released in the 2000s, the sequel, released in 2007, doesn’t come close to Alexander Aya’s film.

If you’ve never seen this nugget, you know what to do. Sensitive souls beware! As long as you stay in the watch recommendations, always in one section, we encourage you to discover this pure masterpiece.