Aja? Thumbs up.
So tonight Planetarium was lucky enough to get to see The Hills Have Eyes this evening in a fairly crowded theater. There is an art to reading between the lines of horror film reviews: when critics mentioned not liking this or that in the film, instead of just panning it, you can usually apply a scale of interpretation to what they're talking about and determine whether or not it's a good movie. That was the case here. (Although, it got a wildly enthusiastic thumbs-up from the NYTimes, so you never know.) But, as always, one of the best reasons to see a horror film opening weekend is because nothing beats the collective energy of an audience watching a great nightmare unfold. The setup seemed so grim for the protagonists, that about halfway through the film, when an unexpected attack on the bad guys occurs, everyone in the theater burst into applause. The sense of unity, of going through this experience together really ratchets up the enjoyment of the film.
But that's not all: Eyes boasts a fascinating and well-done style of spaghetti western that's woven into itself. The last 30 minutes almost seem like they were written and directed by Sergio Leone with an Ennio Morricone score, which obviously added to the enthusiasm we all felt. It was a clever move, and something Planetarium hasn't seen lately in the glut of American horror films crowding the market. Also, there was some pretty blatant symbolism and meaning in the film, that while obvious on one level, has a bunch of layers that we're still unpacking. After all, when a guy grabs an american flag and shoves the stick through the throat of a mutant, you don't have to be Laura Mulvey to get the symbol. BUT- when it's done by the guy whose character background is basically "wimpy Democrat", and the mutant in quesation is actually a guy who the US government deformed in the Los Altos nuclear testing of the 50s, well, now we're off to the races.
The Hills Have Eyes was directed by Alexandre Aja, the man responsible for the pile of excrement known as High Tension. He's redeemed himself completely, we're happy to report, and Planetarium eagerly anticipates his next offering.