The Hills Have Eyes
The lucky ones died first...
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
Production
Budget
$350 000
Revenue
$25 000 000
Director
Scenario
Composer
Don Peake
Producer
Peter Locke
Actors
Suze Lanier-Bramlett
Brenda Carter
Susan Lanier
Brenda Carter
Robert Houston
Bobby Carter
Martin Speer
Doug Wood
Dee Wallace
Lynne Wood
Russ Grieve
Big Bob Carter
John Steadman
Fred
James Whitworth
Jupiter
Short description
The Carter family is driving to California when their recreational vehicle breaks down in a remote desert area. Stranded far from help, they become the prey of a savage clan living in the surrounding hills, and the trip turns into a struggle to survive.
Wes Craven directed and wrote the film, the second of the twenty-five features he directed in chronological order, following The Last House on the Left in 1972 and preceding Stranger in Our House in 1979. Peter Locke produced, and the large credited crew numbered forty-nine. The cast includes Russ Grieve as Big Bob Carter, Suze Lanier-Bramlett and Susan Lanier as Brenda, Robert Houston as Bobby, Martin Speer as Doug Wood, and Dee Wallace as Lynne Wood.
Released in July 1977, the film runs ninety minutes and is a horror thriller from the United States, produced by Blood Relations Co. It took about 25 million dollars worldwide, a strong return for a low-budget genre release. On IMDb it holds 6.3 out of 10 from roughly 43,000 votes, while on TMDB it has 6.2 out of 10 from about a thousand votes. A critics' rating of 6.4 out of 10 from twenty-nine reviews places it close to the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- A torn poster for the film "Jaws" (1975) is visible in the movie.
- Research at the New York Public Library led Wes Craven to the story of the Sawney Bean cannibal family, who in 15th-century Scotland lured travelers into a trap.
- The film's plot is based on the legend of Sawney Bean and his family (wife, eight sons and six daughters) – a clan of wild, insane, cannibalistic maniacs who lived in the mountains near Edinburgh, East Lothian County, Scotland in the early 15th century. They captured, tortured, and ate several travelers. Eventually, all members of the Sawney Bean clan were captured by order of the King of Scotland, James, recognized as dangerous lunatics, and, according to the laws of the time, executed without trial.
- Although Brenda Marinoff is credited as the sole performer of the baby Katie role, another baby was actually used in the film, whose identity remains a secret.
- The initial version of the film received an X rating, which meant extremely limited distribution and, consequently, fatally reduced box office revenue. Wes Craven shortened the film, cutting all the most bloody and violent episodes, which allowed it to receive a milder R rating.
- The idea for the film came to director and screenwriter Wes Craven partly as a result of an incident that occurred during a motorcycle trip with his wife. When the Cravens stopped in a small town in Nevada, they were harassed by three locals. It started with them shooting a crossbow bolt over his head, and then escalated to outright insults. When Craven stated he would sue them, the local trio assured the travelers they would simply be killed, their bodies dumped into a nearby salt mine, and no one would ever know what happened.
- Difficulties arose during the scene where Virginia Vincent's character (who played Ethel Carter) is shot, due to a hidden flammable substance under the actress's dress. The actress even had to be briefly taken to the hospital.
- During the casting process for the role of Ruby, the candidates were asked to run a short distance. When Craven shouted “Go!”, and everyone dashed off, Janus Blythe hesitated at the start, then ran and finished the distance first. She was given the role.
- According to Janus Blythe, Wes Craven constantly insisted that she cover herself in dirt as much as possible before filming, because, in his opinion, she looked too attractive for a character who had lived in the desert her entire life.
- The scene with the tarantula was not written into the script. Someone from the crew simply noticed a spider near the set and decided to use it in the filming (the insect was not harmed during the process and was later released). Dee Wallace-Stone (who played Lynn) is very afraid of spiders, so she didn’t even have to try hard to portray fear in the scene with the tarantula.
- According to Robert Houston, who played Bobby, much of the actor selection for a particular character depended on whether the actor or actress could cry on cue.
- According to Susan Lanier, her agent strongly advised her not to take on the role of Brenda, claiming that it could ruin her entire future career. Nevertheless, Lanier, a big fan of horror films and a devotee of Craven, ignored him and did as she pleased.
- Filming in the desert was difficult. Walking, let alone running, on the rocky surface was challenging. During the day, the temperature rose to 48 degrees Celsius, and at night it dropped to minus one.
- During the preparation for filming the scene in the crevice between the rocks, a rattlesnake escaped from its enclosure. All the filmmakers and actors involved in the scene were frightened and immediately fled the crevice. The snake was found and returned to its enclosure almost immediately.
- When we see the dog named Beauty being stabbed, it’s not a prop, but a real dead dog in the frame. The animal was not killed for the filming: director Wes Craven and producer Peter Lock bought the carcass of a deceased dog from the local sheriff's department.
- Much of the props in the cave of the wild cannibal family were taken by artist Robert A. Barns from his previous project – the cult horror film “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974).
- Initially, Wes Craven planned to title the film "Blood Relations," but producer Peter Locke disliked it. Many different options were tried, and it turned out that audiences were most eager to attend previews for a film called "The Hills Have Eyes," although Craven himself initially didn't like the title.
- The film was shot in the vicinity of Victorville, California.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
