Is High Tension the accidentally worst thing to happen to Horror in the '00s? It re-popularized the 'How does this work?!?' twist and also gave us this Film.
This is 2006's Remake of Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes. In this case, if you didn't know, it was Directed by Alexandre Aja. Just so you don't think that I'm 'a hater,' I will remind you that I still like and own the Piranha Remake (just not the Sequel).
One of the changes made here was to move the location from California to New Mexico, in order to try to connect it to real life nuclear testing done there.
Sidenote: were it not for the Hurricane, my Parents would have been on vacation in New Mexico when I watched this...so thank you, Storm?
The Plot is mostly the same- mutants attack innocent people.
Can this be elevated with 3 Decades to think of something interesting to add?
To find out, read on...
Even though this is a Theatrical Film, we still get the Syfy Opening Kill Cliche in full effect.
Random guys checking water in the area are killed by Mutants.
You won't see them again for a good 45 minutes....so enjoy this fun size appearance.
After Credits which hammer in the Nuclear Testing = Mutation Theme in with the subtlety of Thor working for Habitat for Humanity, we meet the grizzled guy who runs the only Gas Station for miles.
He wanders around when he hears a noise, which mostly just introduces us to the Location.
He says 'he can't do it anymore.'
(In spite of all this Character Build-Up, they didn't do a Prequel about him).
Things change when a family drives up.
It is an older Couple (with Ted Levine as the Dad), their two Daughters, their younger Son and the Husband of the one Daughter.
After building medium tension, the Wife accidentally sees proof of a previous victim (a purse that half the Cast will stumble across by the end).
As such, he immediately breaks his vow and guides them to side road to be killed.
They set a spike trap- which they then hide, because reasons- and the car is totaled.
This leads to more wandering around and more views of the Moroccan...I mean, New Mexico Desert.
Time for padding.
The Dad goes back to the Station, which ends poorly for him and the Owner.
The Husband goes the other way and finds the bombed out Town where Act 3 takes place in.
The Son follows the one dog, which he finds dead. He slips and falls several feet to the stone floor, but he's fine.
This also gives us the 'nice' Mutant, which is the only real addition to the Mutant Family here that matters.
Dad is caught by Billy Drago (who is wasted in this) and burned on a tree.
This is to draw the others way...and I just realized that the key Action Scene takes place at night.
Way to miss the point of the original!
This leads to objectively the worst part of the Film as everything bad happens to the Female Cast.
The Daughter is, let's just say, not consensually greeted, the Wife is shot in the head and Mom is shot in the chest.
SPOILER ALERT- this Film does not pass the Bechdel Test.
In the aftermath, the survivors need to rescue the baby, which was stolen.
The Husband (Aaron Stanford) has to become a Hero now, despite all of the talk he got for 'not liking guns' and 'being a Democrat.'
Somehow, this guy manages to escape a death trap, elude Mutants AND then kill 2 of them.
Back at the RV, Drago shows up and they trick him into a trap. They blow up the RV with him there, although he doesn't quite stay dead....somehow.
Stanford manages to fend off one last Mutant and return with the baby...although they are out in the middle of the desert with no help and no way to drive out, so....happy ending?
A Film that really leans into what it wants to be. If that is your kind of Film, you'll like it.
As for me, it had its moments, but couldn't hold me.
The Pacing is weird, with the Mutants popping up as a tease and then not doing much for half of the Film. The variety of them was nice and the effects look great.
On a technical level, the Film works quite well.
The Tone is what got me, I guess. The one Scene- where they kill of 2/3 of the Female Cast and sideline the other- was a tipping point for me.
The Film, as I said, leans into what it wants to be. In this case, it is cruel.
That can work, if things are evened out or 'paid back.'
In this case, the surviving lady needs help to take out one guy, while her Sister's Husband does everything. Some agency.
That said, i wasn't expecting a Feminist Masterpiece. Don't think that I'm judging it solely on that- it is just how I feel.
I already bought the Sequel- also Unrated- so I'll still give that a shot. Hopefully we'll see Greg Nicotero again in all his...glory.
Next up, the Sequel- duh. Will it be less accidentally funny than the last time they did this? Stay tuned...
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