La colline a des yeux n° 2

Wes Craven admitted in an interview that he needed to make some cash fast, would have happily 'directed Godzilla in Paris'. So he made a sequel to one of his well-made and enjoyable films.

However, 'Hills Have Eyes 2' is a letdown. It seems to rely heavily on flashbacks to the previous (superior) film and is really nothing more than a 'Friday the 13th' clone. It even has the same composer as the Jason films (Harry Manfredini) so much of the music in 'Hills 2' could make you think you're watching a 'Friday the 13th' sequel. This whole film is just a waste of time. The characters are so obnoxious you don't give a hoot what happens to them, the 'Papa Jupe's brother' business is glaringly contrived and unlikely and to cut a long story short I have trouble believing that this mess was by the same director who brought us the best of the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' films and 'Shocker'.

The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 (1985) was a unwarranted sequel. But after all this was the eighties and sequels were in vogue. The first film had a fine closure and I still don't understand what was Wes Craven thinking when he released it? It was far too tamed to be an R-Rated film and it wasn't a true sequel (in my opinion). Too far fetched and inane. I wasn't pleased with the end results. I'll just pretend it never took place.

Not a bad movie but certainly not a good one either. A mediocre effort of Wes Craven. You could tell his heart wasn't in this project. But I would take one of these films any day compared ti the rubbish he's cranking out these day.

An okay time waster. Not a total disaster that some people might make you believe it is!

This movie I thought was more entertaining than the original. It just has more places to go than the first one. The characters are better and funny also. This is one of Wes Craven's most underrated movies. I give The Hills Have Eyes Part II *** out of ****

The Hills Have Eyes Part II is Wes Craven's less than great follow-up to the brutal original. The first film is damn near terrifying in parts. This one is slightly goofy and unbelievable. The flashbacks are my main problem with the film. Everyone has flashbacks. Every single character from the original has flashbacks, the freakin' dog even has flashbacks. If you're watching The Hills Have Eyes Part II, you almost have to be a fan. I think we're all familiar with the first one. If you're not, then you shouldn't be viewing it. Any reality or spontaneity is also gone. You know who is going to die right away. The cast is decent though. Michael Berryman, Robert Houston, and Janus Blythe all return. Kevin Blair from Friday the 13th Part 7 and Peter Frechette from The Kindred play moto-cros bikers while Nicholas Worth plays the voice of the Reaper. And can anyone tell me where the Reaper was hiding in the first film? If you didn't enjoy the first Hills Have Eyes, you aint gonna like this one.

Note for genre buffs: Kane Hodder is listed as a stuntman.

Since Wes Craven himself wrote and directed this one, I was really expecting more than just another slasher movie. Still, it's pretty good, though. And yes, I'm sure dogs can have flashbacks too (they do have minds after all, don't they?)