15 scariest summer horror movies of all-time
By Wesley Lara
5. The Hills Have Eyes(2006)
Directed by Alexandre Aja
Okay, maybe I’m a sucker for remakes. I liked the It remake, this remake, The Thing is probably my favorite horror film, and even the Wicker Man remake is fun to watch, even if for the wrong reasons.
Remakes, if done right, can add a different perspective and style to a previously established film and while that can be the root of controversial discourse between fans of the original and fans of the remake, it often shows that the filmmakers involved respect the original’s intentions while not being afraid to add their own unique spin on it. Enter the 2006 remake of The Hills Have Eyes.
A remake of the classic 1977 horror slasher, the 2006 version benefits from having Alexandre Aja (who we already know from Piranha 3D) directing, adding in his French Extremist style to a film that could benefit from a much faster pace. The story follows an American family getting stranded in the desert while en route to a vacation spot and discovering that they’re being hunted by a family of mutated cannibals. So again, a summer vacation goes terribly wrong and while that’s already scary enough to see, Aja’s presence brings the horror to a visceral level that is near-impossible to overcome.
Aja’s frantic directing style makes for some effective and adrenaline-pumping horror sequences that can act as decent action set pieces and a manic attempt at staying alive. Despite being stranded, the movie’s pace hardly lets up, grabbing the audience in a choke hold for practically the entire movie and making sure we see this nice and hilarious family fight for their lives across the backdrop of the hot New Mexican desert.
What better way to showcase this lovable family than by torturing them for the whole movie?