MovieChat Forums > The Hills Have Eyes (1977) Discussion > Who wants to watch this??

Who wants to watch this??

posted 2 months ago by Melton (2218)
2 replies | jump to latest

You’re basically watching a nice family slowly get lowered into a meat grinder for 90 minutes.

Now, I love Wes Craven, Scream is a masterpiece, guy’s a legend… but this and Last House On The Left are just pure savagery. Not only are loved ones ripped apart (the worst thing you could imagine), daughters are getting raped.

Yeah a certain degree of revenge is achieved but the damage is done - the family is destroyed, the violation is complete, the trauma is forever.

And it’s not like this trauma is handled with the sensitivity of a great drama, it’s all very schlocky, exploitative and… porn-like.

I’m struggling to understand why someone would want to tell this ‘story’, and why someone would want to watch it. Please enlighten me.

[–] whynotwriteme (7127) 2 months ago

I really like the concept of the weird outcast family hiding out in the desert. I think the remake where they were mutants was even better in this regard. But you are right. It's a nasty, ugly, sadistic film and Last House is 100x worse. Last House on the Left along with the Asian WW2 exploitation flick, Men Behind the Sun are the only two DVDs I ever destroyed after watching them.

I really don't have much respect for Wes Craven as a human being if these are the stories he really wanted to share when he was beginning his career. A creator's first efforts are usually those most dear to them; stories they just HAVE to tell.

His more acceptable later films like Scream, etc. had to be toned down for mass audiences, but I am sure he was just as negative-minded and depraved then.

[–] Melton (2218) 2 months ago

Apparently Craven was a porn director before he moved into horror, I guess he grew out of pure exploitation origins.

He became one of the greatest horror director’s ever so max respect, but I just don’t get this early stuff. I know the 70’s was all about smashing the boundaries of previous eras, but where’s the pleasure in watching this? I spent the film squinting with revulsion.