Posted on March 26, 2006
The advertisements for “The Hills Have Eyes 2” have been bragging about how disturbing it is and how it goes way beyond the violence of its predecessor, “The Hills Have Eyes” (2006). With the first one, which is actually a remake of the 1977 original, being filled with scenes of dogkilling and mothers being shot, it was hard to see how a movie could be any more disturbing.
However, “The Hills Have Eyes 2” was true to its word, delivering a movie that can be summed up in one word: demented. With the opening scene depicting a shackled naked woman giving birth in a super-graphic and violent way, it’s obvious that it has taken violence and gore to a new level. Despite being so disgusting, “Hills 2” delivers an entertaining horror movie that will leave audiences cringing on the edge of their seats.
The sequel starts sometime after the first left off, with the Carter family being slaughtered in the desert by cannibals who were deformed from government nuclear testing. When no one can find the family, the government sends a team to install electronic surveillance equipment in the hills of the New Mexico desert. Once there, the team is killed off rapidly within the first five minutes of the movie by the same freakish cannibals who killed the Carter family.
That same day, a team of National Guard trainees, led by their sergeant (played by Flex Alexander, “Snakes on a Plane”), is sent to deliver more equipment for the surveillance installation. With the base camp abandoned, they realize something is awry. When they get a muffled radio transmission from somewhere up in the hills, they think they are going to go on their first search and rescue mission. Once up in the hills, those loveable cannibals start to pick the trainees off one by one.
This could have been just another gory, run-of-the-mill sequel. However, the movie managed to preserve what made the first one special — how much the audience cared about the characters. The original was so disturbing because it was relatable. People could identify with going on a family vacation. In “Hills 2” there is a similar dynamic, with the group of trainees being their own faux family. They fight and argue, but they have each other’s backs.
This movie is not for everyone. It’s one of the most twisted movies to come out in years, but fans of the original will love it. It’s a perfect extension of the “The Hills Have Eyes” story, showing where and how these cannibals live. It’s too disturbing to ever be called a fun horror movie, but it is fun to watch and truly entertaining.
