La colline a des yeux n° 2

I'm sure some would say that you'd have a better chance of picking the winning lottery numbers every week than picking out the worst horror sequel of all time. Hell, when a film like "Silent Night, Deadly Night" can spawn no less than four follow-ups, there is obviously a LOT for one to choose from. But those who think that this is truly an impossible task have never seen the "Hills Have Eyes Part II". And boy, I sure envy them because they won't have to go to their graves pondering what else they could've done with their life during the 90 minutes they used up to watch this film. "Hills Have Eyes II" is not even gracious enough to provide one with 90 minutes of bad laughs. It is just plain DEAD! I mean, this must have had the most unenthusiastic film shoot in history. The direction, the script and the acting are so flat that it doesn't look anyone involved in the project gives a damn at all. You'd never think that Wes Craven himself, whose 1977 original was a genuine horror masterpiece, could be responsible for such an utterly lifeless piece of celluloid, but as he's stated many times before, this came at a time when he'd do ANYTHING to scratch out a living in the film biz (though I'd personally have chosen to find work at a sweat shop than have my name attached to something like this). Thankfully, his next project was the hugely successful "Nightmare on Elm Street", which helped the otherwise talented filmmaker go on to bigger things, though ironically, "Hills II" was held back for release until a year afterwards and would probably still be sitting on a shelf somewhere if "Elm Street" were not such a success.

Anyway, there's no sense dwelling on where this sequel goes wrong, because it does so in EVERY department, but there are definitely a great deal of things that stick out. Despite being such a lifeless piece of work, "The Hills Have Eyes Part II" is, and always will be, remembered among horror fans for one reason and one reason only: the dog's flashback. That's right, in the annals of horror movie stupidity, there has never been a moment to top the lunacy of the Carter family dog having a flashback to some of the events he witnessed in the original film! Hell, there are so many damn flashback sequences in this film that it actually makes for a reason to watch it: if one has trouble finding a copy of the original "Hills Have Eyes", they can just rent the sequel since it shows just about every scene from the original anyway. Of course, those who fondly remember the original are gonna be shaking their heads at the absurd contrivances in this sequel. The only returning member of the mutant family this time around is Pluto, who is now living in the desert with "The Reaper", who is supposed to be the brother of Papa Jupiter, the original leader of the clan. Think about this for a second. Remember the chilling scene in the original "Hills" where the old man at the gas station tells the story about his wife giving birth to Jupiter, and how the kid developed into a monster that eventually murdered their daughter? Strange that he makes no mention of Jupiter having a brother. Even stranger is how he says that giving birth to Jupiter almost tore his poor wife apart - yet she still finds the strength to deliver another kid that's even bigger. But not to worry about the plot holes since Craven doesn't give any more regard to his direction or editing either, especially near the end, when one of the major characters just disappears completely from the picture! I'd just love to ramble on endlessly about all the laughable blunders in this film, but I realize that taking the time to complain about it is just another set of minutes that I'll end up wishing I'd spent on better things when I go to my grave.

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!

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.

THE HILLS HAVE EYES PART II (1985)

directed by: Wes Craven

starring: Tamara Stafford, Kevin Blair, Janus Blythe, and Michael Berryman

plot: Bobby (Robert Houston) and Ruby (Janus Blythe), now civilized and under the alias Rachel, run a motorcycle racing team and are preparing for a race in the desert. Bobby chickens out, leaving Ruby in charge. On the way, the group gets lost and must take a shortcut close to where the original horrors took place. They decide to stay for the night, which is a bad idea, because Ruby's brother Pluto (Michael Berryman) and uncle Reaper (John Bloom) roam the area, picking off the friends one by one. Soon, only a few survivors are left - including blind Cass (Tamara Stafford) and Ruby, and they must try to stay alive.

my thoughts: I've heard so many bad reviews about this film. I heard it was the worst sequel ever, and that it was mostly just a bunch of flashbacks from the original.

I finally got my hands on it and watched it with an open mind. I was not disappointed at all.

The flashbacks are only within the first 20 minutes. Bobby flashes back to his and Brenda's final battle with Jupiter, Ruby flashes back to helping Doug fight Mars and save the baby, and even the dog (Beast) flashes back to when he attacked the crap out of Pluto. Once the action begins, the flashbacks end. And the dog flash back did not bother me at all, I found it very cute.

The characters are your usual 80's teens. Some are annoying, but I did like a few - Cass (Tamara Stafford), Roy (Kevin Blair), and Hulk (John Laughlin) were very sympathetic. The others were either annoying or not interesting at all. The return of Ruby and Bobby was also a good idea. I loved watching Ruby seek redemption by saving the others, and Bobby has a small but smart part. It's nice to actually see a character that is smart and stays behind.

Michael Berryman returning as Pluto had it's pros and cons. I loved seeing his conflict with the dog Beast, but I also hated how in the original he was very menacing and creepy, here he is comic relief. At least The Reaper (John Bloom) was a big, strong, savage villain who didn't talk too much.

If you can ignore the unoriginality and the cheesiness of it all, then sit back and enjoy THE HILLS HAVE EYES PART II.

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?)