The Hills Have Eyes is an American horror franchise that consists of four horror films, as well as a graphic novel and merchandise. The first film was released in 1977, The Hills Have Eyes; the series was rebooted in a 2006 remake. The films focus on a group of people stranded in a desert who become hunted by a clan of deformed cannibals in the surrounding hills. The films collectively grossed over $132 million at the box-office worldwide. The series was created by Wes Craven who is known for the Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream films.[2][3][4][5] The series has featured actors and actresses including Dee Wallace, Aaron Stanford, Michael Berryman and Emilie de Ravin.

In 2016, Arrow Video released a restored edition DVD and Blu-ray.[1]

Films

edit
Film U.S. release date Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Producer(s)
Original films
The Hills Have Eyes June 22, 1977 (1977-06-22) Wes Craven Peter Locke
The Hills Have Eyes Part II August 2, 1985 (1985-08-02) Peter Locke,
Barry Cahn,
Jonathan Debin
Reboot films
The Hills Have Eyes March 10, 2006 (2006-03-10) Alexandre Aja Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur Wes Craven,
Marianne Maddalena,
Peter Locke
The Hills Have Eyes 2 March 23, 2007 (2007-03-23) Martin Weisz Wes Craven and Jonathan Craven

Cast

edit
List indicators

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.

  • An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
  •  A indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
  •  C indicates a cameo role.
  •  U indicates an uncredited appearance.
Character Films
  Original series   Reboot series
The Hills Have Eyes The Hills Have Eyes Part II The Hills Have Eyes The Hills Have Eyes 2
1977 1985 2006 2007
Humans
Doug Wood / Bukowski Martin Speer Mentioned Aaron Stanford Mentioned
Brenda Carter Susan Lanier Susan LanierA Emilie de Ravin
Bobby Carter Robert Houston Dan Byrd
Lynne Carter-Wood / Bukowski Dee Wallace Mentioned Vinessa Shaw
Ethel Carter Virginia Vincent Virginia VincentA Kathleen Quinlan
Big Bob Carter Russ Grieve Mentioned Ted Levine
Catherine "Katy" Wood / Bukowski Brenda Marinoff Maisie Camilleri
Ruby / Rachel Janus Blythe Laura Ortiz
Fred John Steadman Tom Bower
Beast Appeared Mentioned
Beauty Appeared Appeared
The Cannibal
Pluto Michael Berryman Michael Bailey Smith
Papa Jupiter James Whitworth James WhitworthA Billy Drago
Mercury Peter Locke Adam Perrell
Big Mama Cordy Clark Ivana Turchetto

Reception

edit

Box office

edit
Film Release date (US) Budget Box office revenue Reference
United States Foreign Worldwide
The Hills Have Eyes (1977) July 22, 1977 $230,000 $25,000,000 $25,000,000
The Hills Have Eyes Part II January 2, 1985 $700,000
The Hills Have Eyes (2006) March 10, 2006 $15,000,000 $41,778,863 $27,844,850 $69,623,713 [6]
The Hills Have Eyes 2 March 23, 2007 $15,000,000 $20,804,166 $16,662,372 $37,405,247 [7]
Total $38,930,000 $66,584,110 $44,507,222 $132,028,960

Critical reception

edit

Most of the films have received mixed reception from critics.

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
The Hills Have Eyes (1977) 67% (27 reviews)[8]
The Hills Have Eyes Part II 0% (7 reviews)[9]
The Hills Have Eyes (2006) 52% (140 reviews)[10] 52% (28 reviews)[11]
The Hills Have Eyes 2 12% (68 reviews)[12] 32% (18 reviews)[13]

Comics

edit
 
Cover art

To coincide with the release of The Hills Have Eyes 2, Fox Atomic Comics released a graphic novel set in the continuity of the remake series in July 2007. The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning reveals the genesis of the mutants, who were once normal people, ignorant to the rest of the world, and how they evolved into horrific creatures.[14][15] It was written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, and drawn by John Higgins.

References

edit
  1. ^ "4K Restoration of Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes Coming From Arrow Video". Brutal As Hell.
  2. ^ "The Hills Have Eyes 1977". Blu-ray.
  3. ^ "15 Things You Probably Didn't Know About The Hills Have Eyes 2". IFC.
  4. ^ "The Hills Have Eyes (1977)". High-Def Digest.
  5. ^ "The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 (Widescreen)". walmart.com.
  6. ^ "The Hills Have Eyes 2006 Box Office". BoxOfficeMojo.com. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  7. ^ "The Hills Have Eyes 2 Box Office". BoxOfficeMojo.com. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  8. ^ "The Hills Have Eyes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  9. ^ "The Hills Have Eyes, Part II". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  10. ^ "The Hills Have Eyes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  11. ^ "The Hills Have Eyes (2006): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  12. ^ "The Hills Have Eyes 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  13. ^ "The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  14. ^ "The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning". HarperCollins.com. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  15. ^ "The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning Preview". IGN. 8 February 2007.
edit