Review – The Hills Have Eyes

Well, the movie wasn’t exactly called “The Hills Have Brains,” so perhaps I shouldn’t complain. But I’m going to anyway. This early Wes Craven effort comes across as a cross between The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Craven’s even earlier Last House on the Left. A trailer-load of city folk end up trapped in the desert, stalked and slaughtered by a latter-day Sawney Beane clan. These grubby, drooling loonies eat tourists because they can’t afford groceries, and yet they seem to have a copious supply of walkie-talkies and at least one bottle of J&B. Sadly, plot logic isn’t the low point of the flick. That distinction belongs to the dialogue and Craven’s tin ear for same. The acting’s no great shakes, either. And few movies end as abruptly as this one does, though even as sudden as it is, it’s not exactly unwelcome. Finally, this picture came darn close to drawing a lower rating because of the animal cruelty, but for once one of the animals gets to be cruel back. See if desperate