Wednesday, October 2, 2013

31 Days of Horror 4: Originals vs. Remakes DAY 2




The Hill Have Eyes (1977) vs. The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
Original
Now, here is an ultra violent horror movie from the ’77. A movie I don’t recommend for everyone.
The film is about a family heading out to California that meets their fate when they decide to take a detour off the main road, in hopes to find the silver mine that Big Bob Carter (Russ Grieve) and Brenda Carter (Susan Lanier) received as an anniversary present.
Soon after they leave the main road their camper breaks down and the family is now not only stranded in the desert but is also being stalked by a group of people that have a taste for human flesh.
This film was directed by Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street) and it is genuinely creepy but also extremely disturbing and twisted. The movie isn’t for everybody, I really want to stress that.
Behind all the gore and the twisted story, the film had a lot of tension. This is one for those movies that you are actually afraid for the characters.
The movie isn’t dull and it’s a ride that casual audiences wouldn’t like to take. Yet, if you are a horror fan or just want to learn more about the genre this is a must watch.
Remake
It’s very hard to talk about the remake, because it’s just very extreme.
When watching this movie it’s more like an endurance test than an actual ride like the original. There are some very sick, twisted, and brutal things in this film and it’s not a movie for a casual audience. I barely could stomach some of the things in it.
The story is very similar to the original but they take out the silver mine. Their trailer breaks down on their way to California, due to spikes in the road, and they are soon faced with the now mutated hill people. Yes, in this version the hill people are products of nuclear radiation due to nuke testing in the desert.
This remake is much faster paced than the original, which is the case with most horror remakes, and like I said is ups the gore and violence. Yet, is it any good?
Well, I have to be honest and say that this remake is well done by horror remake standards; but because the level of violence and a certain scene, that I won’t get into, it’s very hard to like this movie without feeling weird. Again, it’s not a film for casual audiences and it is truly made for the hardcore horror crowd.
So, which is better?
Both films are dark, twisted, and brutal and they both have their good points and bad points. If I had to pick between the two though, I would have to go with the original. The reason for this is because I feel like it had a lot more tension than the remake. The remake seemed interested in shocking you again and again and it did it well, but I rather have the tension the original gave us.
Original Wins

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