The Hills Have Eyes is a cult classic, and nothing more needs to be said. If you need that horror fix and something similar, I’ve compiled ten similar horror movies below.
I remember trying to watch The Hills Have Eyes on VHS. In the UK, the 1977 film was considered one of the so-called “video nasties” and subsequently banned. The UK had a controversial period in the eighties, where films were taken off the shelves as they were considered so “nasty” that you weren’t allowed to hire them. Police would go into video shops, take the films from the business, and often issue fines and even jail time for shops that carried them. Titles such as Evil Dead, Driller Killer, and The Beyond all spring to mind, including The Hills Have Eyes.
Wrong Turn (2003)
The premise here finds six people being stalked in the woods by a horrific family of cannibals, eager to terrify and murder anyone who stupidly falls under their radar.
Directed by Rob Schmidt, the film launched a franchise with numerous sequels and prequels.
Eden Lake (2008)
Brutal, tense, and unrelenting, this shocker is possibly more grounded than some other entries on the list. The maniacs in this flick are an out-of-control pack of youths.
They launch a terror attack on a romantic couple just out trying to relax, making it a battle for survival that few see through to the end.
Wolf Creek (2005)
This harrowing nightmare follows three backpackers in the Australian outback, attacked by a psychopath who takes pleasure in tormenting and torturing them.
The film would come under fire for filming at a location where an actual murder took place, and locals would protest the shoot, thinking they were recreating the event.
High Tension (Switchblade Romance) (2003)
Here is a nasty, visceral French shocker, written and directed by Alexandre Aja, seemingly paying homage to the 1980s video nasties.
Two friends arrive at a farmhouse for a weekend of quality time with the family, but a sadistic maniac breaks into the house and systematically starts a killing spree that escalates into insanity as the film progresses.
Don’t Go In The Woods (1981)
Another eighties nasty, directed by James Bryan and presented in grainy VHS quality that only seems to add to the nastiness.
A camping trip for four friends ends in carnage when they accidentally find the abode of a ruthless killer.
Cue gore and low-quality murders.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Notorious for its brutal sequences and bizarre imagery and reaching the highest peak of cult horror, we follow five hapless friends on a sentimental journey to visit the grave of a loved grandfather, finding a run-down house of horror that becomes a living nightmare.
Directed by Tobe Hooper, this is still a classic that would spawn a franchise of diminishing returns.
The Descent (2005)
We move the action underground here, with a group of five friends enjoying an exploration of caves but falling foul of a brood of barely seen creatures that stalk them in the darkness, picking them off one at a time.
Neil Marshall ramps the claustrophobic landscape up to eleven and creates a suffocating atmosphere that has you watching the background of each scene in case something is hiding there.
You’re Next (2011)
Directed by Adam Wingard, this survival shocker follows Aubrey and Paul, hoping to celebrate their anniversary with some close family at their estate.
Things go south quickly when the party is crashed by a group of psychotic killers all wearing animal masks, but one of the party is ready to fight back.
The Last House on the Left (1972)
Wes Craven was the director here in a very early project, and the tagline would read, “Keep telling yourself, it’s only a movie.”
This has a revenge premise, with two girls attacked, kidnapped, and assaulted by a gang of deranged reprobates, who then find themselves hunted by the parents of one of the murdered girls.
Remade in 2006, the original was another nasty ban in the UK.
The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 (1984)
A remake of the original would finally be released, but brace yourself if you plan on watching.
This time, a biker gang fell victim to our killers, but this remake did little to impress horror fans at the time, who probably expected a lot more.
Wes Craven was back on board, but the film’s production was troubled, and Craven eventually disassociated himself from it entirely.
And yes, there is a dog in this film that has a flashback.
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