A remake of the well-known 1977 Wes Craven film, 'The Hills Have Eyes' is one of the creepiest and disturbing movies you'll watch in a while.

The backdrop for the film is the genetic fall out caused by lingering radiation from the 331 nuclear bomb tests that were carried out during the 1950s and '60s by the USA in its' deserts. The intro of "The Hills Have Eyes" consists of scenes from real nuclear explosions and pictures of those who were genetically mutated as a result, with sad music playing in the background. According to the film's intro, the American government still denies that the huge nuclear testing programme it conducted caused any significant ill effects.

The actual film then begins, set in the American desert where the Carter family are headed for a holiday in California. They end up taking an unusual route through the desert due to the whim of Papa Bob (Ted Levine) who decides it's a good chance to experience the beauty of the Southwestern desert first hand. Despite everyone's protests (they just want to get to their destination), they end up heading off to parts unknown.

Papa Bob is a gun-happy retired cop with an invincibility complex. Accordingly he doesn't think much can happen to his family when he's around. He steers off the main road following a supposed short cut that was suggested by a strange man (Tom Bower), who worked at 'Gas Haven', a petrol station in the middle of nowhere and had just received a bag of booty from a mysterious figure. Once again, the family try to protest at Dad's unilateral decision to try the short cut, but he isn't in a mood to discuss.

Hardly any time passes along the supposed short cut, when a mysterious accident occurs that leaves the Carters stranded. They still didn't think anything sinister was going on, but the audience is shown that in fact their tires were blown out by an unseen figure. The resultant crash renders their SUV useless and strands the family miles and miles from help. This build up takes place slowly and deliberately as we get shadowy glimpses of humanoid creatures on the periphery. It turns out that they had been purposely misled, to become the latest victims of a vicious band of desert dwelling mutants who are in fact the remnants of a group of miners who refused to leave their homes when nuclear testing was to take place. They were pissed off at what happened and gradually became bloodthirsty, crazed, cannibalistic felons that wage war on civilisation by preying on intentionally misguided families.

The Carters are subsequently terrorized, brutalized, and murdered by this freakish family of psychopaths, mutated by the lingering radiation. After several killings are carried out in memorably grisly fashion, it's left to the survivors to outsmart their disfigured tormentors, who are blessed with horrendous make-up (especially Robert Joy as freak leader "Lizard").

The Carters put up a very poor struggle, and seem to never be able to fire their guns. The first victory on behalf of the Carter's is actually carried out by their loyal dog. Any bit of sympathy for the 'mutants' is knocked out by their sheer brutality. It is somewhat frustrating to see the 'bad-guys' score victory after victory over the hapless Carters. The sexual assault scenes are particularly disturbing.

However, finally the good guys manage to make a few breakthroughs in the conflict, and invariably the crowd finds itself cheering when this happens. Funnily, it is the limp wristed, anti-gun democrat Doug (Aaron Stanford) who manages something of a change in fortune. Despite trying his best to avoid having to do any fighting, he ends up being drawn in when his wife is killed, baby kidnapped and himself wounded to point of death.

The whole thing is hardly satisfying in terms of storytelling (since there's hardly any story to tell), but as an exercise in sheer malevolence, it's undeniably effective. Hate it or love it, 'The Hills Have Eyes' will undoubtedly leave a mark on your mind, and in a round-a-bout kind of way drive home the horrors of nuclear testing.

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