The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

Having never seen Wes Craven's original I can't judge how successful a remake Alexandre Aja's 2006 version is. What I can say is that judged on its own merits, Aja's 'The Hills Have Eyes' packs quite a punch.

The story follows a family travelling through remote desert territory, who stop briefly at a gas station. They are told of a shortcut via an old dirt track, unaware that they are being sent delibrately into the hands of a vicious family of mutant hillbillies.

Plots don't get much simpler than that, and Aja treats the nuclear-era subtext apparently present in Craven's original as little more than a means of injecting some sinister colour and atmosphere. It soon becomes clear that Aja is interested in one thing only - scaring the wits out of his audience through a barrage of uncompromising violence that transgresses just about every barrier of taste you can think of.

That may not be your cup of tea - in fact it isn't really my cup of tea either, but it is impossible not to be impressed by the skill Aja displays in achieving his intentions, and it is impossible not to appreciate the intensity of the emotional turmoil that you the viewer are forced to endure.

The first hour is an exercise in the art of the suspense, as the protagonists separate in an attempt to get help after their vehicle breaks down. The audience knows the mutants are out there, but the protagonists don't, and we sit there biting our nails waiting for the attacks to begin.

And when the mutants do strike, it is jaw-droppingly brutal, extraordinarily perilous and nastily cunning. It is real body blow for the viewer, and a trauma that the protagonists reel from for the rest of the film, amplified by some strong acting throughout the cast.

And from then on things just get gorier, and more desperate, reaching a bloody and satisfying climax which is likely to have the viewer wanting to grab a heavy weapon and join in the battle, so much do we wish those mutants dead.

This film is not for the fainthearted or the squeamish, but if you believe that sometimes good horror needs to be endured rather than enjoyed then 'The Hills Have Eyes' is an excellent example of how it should be done.