The Hills Have Eyes is one of those horror movies that does not give chilly gore but has a great storyline, which is becoming uncommon. It is a remake of Wes Craven’s 1977 horror movie that goes by the same title. It is an American horror film that shows the lives of a family on a trip targeted by mutants who unfortunately feed on human flesh. As a result of the gory nature, many fans have asked, is The Hills Have Eyes a true story or not? The answer to this question will be clear as you read through it.
The Hills Have Eyes A True Story; Who is Wes Craven?
The original film was released in the late 1970s. It was made by one Wes Craven, who had become synonymous with horror movies. But, before the time of making The Hills Have Eyes, he had only made one film that made the news – The Last House on the Left (1972). Even though Craven wanted to do other movies, he found it hard to get financing. Interestingly, the only funding he got was to make horror movies. This was when the idea of making this movie was born. Craven had this idea of a group of people who would stop at nothing to savage on families on vacations on the hill where they were located. Alas, the idea was born, and it needed to be put into motion and pictures.
Craven then produced the Hills Have Eyes. The reach of the horror film placed Wes Craven on the pedestal of some of the greatest horror movies makers. Since the first original came out about four decades ago, Craven did a remake in 2006.
Is The Hills Have Eyes A True Story?
Director Wes Craven, when interviewed, said the movie was inspired by the story of Sawney Bean, who was the head of a wild Scottish human-eating clan in the middle ages. After Craven heard the story, he believed that the road where these people lived was haunted. This was a result of countless stories of travelers on that road who keep disappearing.
Instead of using that same clan, Craven adapted the story to a group of wild people in the West. While this was the idea behind the original film, the remake had another twist to the original story. So if The Hills Have Eyes is a true story, it appears that it is not as it was only adapted.
The Plot of the Remake of The Hills Have Eyes
After the success of the remakes of horror films like The Amityville Horror, the late Craven decided that it was about time to do a remake of the Hills Have Eyes. He, therefore, collaborated with Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur. They chose to film at Ouarzazate in Morocco. However, the film is set in New Mexico, where the United States had carried out nuclear weapons testing, which affected the inhabitants of the area.
The origin of the cannibalized mutants came from nuclear testing gone wrong. So it happened that a couple, Bob Carter and Ethel and his five grown children and their offspring, pet dogs in a vehicle, passed through the desert for their 30th anniversary. The pickup van was suddenly attacked by the mutants who set spikes on the road. Then commotion started. First, One of the mutants killed one of the dogs gruesomely before several incidents began to unfold.
Only Doug, Bob, Brenda, Catherine, and Jupiter survived the onslaught.
Janus Blythe Joined The Cast in a Funny Way
In the original movie, one of the cast members, Janus Blythe, became a cast member because of her speed. She competed with other actresses during auditions in a sprint. Well, she outsprinted them all and got the role. This has to be one of the strangest auditions.
Another movie that can get your attention is Malignant. Is it as scary as people say? Read about it here
The Hills Have Eyes’ Commercial Success
Perhaps because so many people thought the Hills Have Eyes is a true story, maybe that’s why it received wide acceptance. According to reports, the movie was played in 2,521 theatres. As a result, the film outdid its budget of $15 million. As a result, it grossed about $42 million in the United States box office. It got even better by grossing $70 million worldwide. The movie aired for 105 days, with the final showing on June 22, 2006. For several weeks, the film sat on the charts.
Conclusion
We have answered the question of if The Hills Have Eyes is a true story. We explained that the story is based on a Scottish tale of a clan that is notoriously cannibal. The film was too good that it had a remake. Both the original movie and the remake grossed millions of dollars worldwide.
