The Hills Have Eyes II (1984) / Brief

I was interested for whatever reason in seeing how overall reaction by the public at large was for the film at 2021 through IMDb and Letterboxd user ratings. It was interesting to see that response on Letterboxd was quite eclectic. On IMDb, much different. On IMDb, under 18 was considerably more kind...well a 5/10 average, but still. On Letterboxd, the rating was 2/5 while on IMDb, it was 3.8/10. All over the map on Letterboxd, the feelings toward the most critically reviled film of Wes Craven's career isn't as cut and dry. I find trends fascinating. Films that are universally panned. My peers who write reviews on IMDB -- I no longer do -- almost in unison declare the sequel an abomination. Well, most of them do. I sort of settle in with the kids. About a 2/5 or 5/10. 

I was stunned that the documentary, In Search of Darkness II, featured this film among any number of possibilities. Robert Russler of "A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge" even gave it a surprisingly fair shake. The dog flashback will always be the first scene of the film anyone mentions. The idea to do that says a lot about where Wes' mind was at as director. And the sheer volume of scenes plucked from the 1977 film, recalling "Silent Night, Deadly Night II", also says a lot about inspiration for this sequel from Wes. I swear the Manfredini score from "Friday the 13th: Part 2" is in its entirety used for this film. And the way the violence is shot and scored...this might be called Hills Have Eyes but its a Friday film set among the Bronson Caves with The Reaper and Pluto replacing Mrs. Voorhees, Jason, and Camp Crystal Lake. I LOVE the rocky desert sun-baked setting. It looks sweltering, just damn hot. And all of those rocks, the labyrinthine maze of mountainous territory that Reaper and Pluto can hide, move about, hunt, and scavenge is a hell of a setting. Is it plotted well? No. Are the villains of this film as frightening as the 1977 film? No. Is the violence as impactful as the 1977 film? Of course not. Nothing about that 1977 Craven film except location and familiar villains are in the sequel. And yet, I don't hate this sequel. I don't revile it. It is just average, run-of-the-mill slasher.