The Hills Have Eyes (Directed by Wes Craven) 1977

Another corker from director Wes craven, 'The Hills Have Eyes' easily slots itself alongside 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' as one of the '70s most humid and disturbing exploitation films of all time. Starring the easily recognisable Michael Berryman, as part of a clan of desert dwelling primitive murders, 'The Hills...' revolves around a family who take to the desert of Nevada as part of a joyous road trip, only to break down en route in one of the most inhospitable and remote of environs. Even worse for the Carters however is the fact that the surrounding hills are inhabited by a bunch of cannibals who, with a sniff of the air, sense that their is some new flesh in town to violate, and violate they do, resulting in a series of nasty deaths, rape and the family turning to animal instinct in their quest to halt the terror.

'The Hills...' is one part 'Texas Chainsaw...' another part 'Deliverance' whilst tying in true-life tales of cannibalism (Sawney Bean) with a backdrop of hazy desert and rugged, barren hills. The acting is strong to the point that you actually feel for the family as they succumb to all manner of deaths perpetrated by this incestuous bunch of weirdo's - and the bad guys of this movie, just like in Hooper's 'Texas Chainsaw...' are the sort you really wouldn't want to meet in any movie, let real-life scenario. 'The Hills...' benefits from its atmosphere and scenery, hard to believe that it was originally going to be set amidst forest terrain, but the violence is certainly stronger than most commercially successful horror films, and it's no wonder the video was branded with an x-certificate. 'The Hills...' is certainly one of the best horror films ever made, and whilst its sequel was pretty poor the 2006 remake was surprisingly adequate. However, nothing beats the ghoulish terror of this hot n' sweaty original that to this day remains so influential - one only has to watch movies such as 'Wrong Turn' to see the effect that 'The Hills...' has had on the modern horror genre, and yet none of them are fit to lace the boots of this classic.