Deep in the New Mexico badlands, a squad of National Guard recruits faces a primal horror that turns their training exercise into a blood-soaked slaughterhouse.

When Alexandre Aja handed the reins of Wes Craven’s iconic mutant family saga to newcomer Martin Weisz for the 2007 sequel, few expected it to amplify the carnage to such grotesque heights. The Hills Have Eyes 2 plunges us back into the irradiated deserts where nuclear testing birthed a tribe of deformed cannibals, this time pitting them against a ragtag military unit ill-prepared for the savagery ahead. What unfolds is a relentless exercise in survival horror, blending gritty realism with over-the-top gore that cements its place in the pantheon of mid-2000s torture porn revival.

  • The film’s shift from family road trip to military patrol heightens tension through incompetence and isolation, making every shadow a potential death trap.
  • Weisz masterfully escalates the original’s mutant menace with inventive kills and a deeper dive into the creatures’ grotesque biology.
  • Despite critical backlash, its unapologetic brutality and commentary on government negligence echo the socio-political undercurrents of post-9/11 America.

The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007): Desert Mutants vs. Deserting Soldiers – A Gory Military Massacre Masterclass

From Trailer Trash to Tactical Nightmare

The story kicks off mere months after the harrowing events of the 2006 remake, where a family’s caravan became mutant fodder in the New Mexico hills. Now, a unit of National Guard trainees, fresh from decontamination duties at the original massacre site, embarks on a routine communications exercise in the same forsaken zone. Led by the cocky Sgt. Jeff Taylor (Michael McMillian), the squad includes med student Amber (Rachel Blanchard), punkish Napoleon (Jacob Vargas), and the rest of a diverse bunch marked for gruesome demises. Their bus breaks down near an abandoned military base, stranding them in territory ruled by the inbred hill people.

These mutants, descendants of Cold War test subjects exposed to atomic blasts, have evolved into cunning predators. Big Brain, the telepathic abomination from the first film, returns as a grotesque puppet master, his exposed cranium pulsing with malevolent intelligence. Pluto (Derek Mears), the scarred rapist brute, stalks with feral rage, while new additions like the sinewy Grabber and the hulking Hannibal prove even deadlier. The script by Wes Craven and his son Jonathan leans into sequel escalation, transforming a simple patrol into a gauntlet of traps, ambushes, and visceral confrontations.

Production mirrored the chaos on screen. Shot primarily in Morocco’s Ouarzazate deserts to mimic New Mexico’s barren expanse, the crew battled sandstorms and logistical woes that infused the film with authentic grit. Budgeted at $15 million, it prioritised practical effects from KNB EFX Group, masters of the remake’s gore. Flayed flesh, impalements, and a infamous latrine decapitation stand out, pushing boundaries in an era dominated by Saw sequels and Hostel rip-offs.

Cultural context roots deep in America’s nuclear anxiety. The hills reference real Trinity test sites where radiation poisoned locals, a theme Craven exploited since his 1977 original. Here, it critiques military hubris: soldiers trained for urban threats falter against prehistoric savagery, mirroring Iraq War blunders where high-tech gear failed against insurgents.

Mutant Arsenal: Traps, Tactics, and Twisted Anatomy

Weisz elevates the antagonists beyond mindless monsters. Mutants now wield improvised weapons from scavenged military junk – spiked balls, crossbows, even a rigged porta-potty bomb. A standout sequence sees the squad navigating underground tunnels, lit by flickering emergency lights, where the Grabber’s elongated limbs snatch victims in claustrophobic terror. Sound design amplifies dread: guttural snarls echo through vents, punctuated by Hans J. Hammer and tomandandy’s throbbing industrial score.

Character dynamics fuel the horror. Taylor’s leadership crumbles under pressure, exposing fractures in the group. Missy (Laura Ortiz, reprising Ruby from the remake, now aiding the soldiers) provides uneasy alliance, her scarred visage symbolising redemption amid monstrosity. Napoleon’s arc, from comic relief to sacrificial hero, delivers rare emotional beats amid the splatter.

Gore aficionados revel in the kills’ creativity. One soldier meets his end via a mutant’s bare hands ripping into his abdomen, pulling out entrails in real-time agony. Another faces a spiked mace to the face, helmet crumpling like tin foil. These moments, while excessive, underscore the film’s thesis: civilisation’s thin veneer shatters against primal instincts honed by radiation.

Visually, cinematographer Alexandre Aja’s protégé Véronique Lallier employs wide desert shots for isolation, contrasted by shaky handheld cams during chases. Practical makeup transforms actors into nightmares: Pluto’s facial reconstruction scars pulse realistically, Big Brain’s jar-bound head twitches with CGI subtlety that avoids digital overkill.

Socio-Political Splatter: Radiation, War, and Reckoning

Beneath the blood, the film probes government complicity. Abandoned bases stocked with biohazard waste hint at ongoing experiments, blaming the military for birthing these abominations. Post-9/11, it parallels how neglected wastelands breed threats, soldiers dispatched as cannon fodder. Craven’s script weaves in found-footage elements – training videos and mutant home movies – humanising the hills dwellers as products of hubris.

Critics lambasted it as derivative, with Rotten Tomatoes at 34%, yet fans embraced its B-movie gusto. Box office topped $40 million worldwide on a modest budget, spawning home video cults. It bridges 70s exploitation with 00s extremity, influencing films like Wrong Turn sequels and The Descent’s cave horrors.

Legacy endures in collecting circles. Unrated cuts circulate on Blu-ray, packed with making-of docs revealing stuntwork perils. Merch like Funko Pops of Pluto nod to its cult status, while fan theories posit Big Brain’s survival setups for unmade thirds.

For survival horror purists, the film’s purity lies in resource scarcity. No rescue comes; protagonists improvise with flares, rifles, even faeces as weapons in desperation. This rawness evokes 80s slashers like Friday the 13th Part VI, where camp counsellors faced escalating kills.

Production Perils and Practical Magic

Behind the scenes, Weisz navigated Craven’s shadow. Hired after impressing with commercials, he infused European sensibilities into American horror. Actor training emphasised realism: soldiers drilled actual military manoeuvres, mutants method-acted feral gaits. KNB’s Greg Nicotero recounted in interviews how heat melted prosthetics, forcing daily reapplications amid 50-degree temps.

Marketing leaned into controversy, trailers teasing “twice the terror,” aligning with torture porn’s peak. Yet, it underperformed against expectations, paving Weisz’s path to darker fares.

Director/Creator in the Spotlight

Martin Weisz, born in Budapest, Hungary in 1971, fled communist regime with his family at age nine, settling in Germany. There, he honed visual storytelling through advertising, directing spots for brands like Volkswagen and Sony that blended high-concept visuals with narrative punch. His feature debut came with the 2005 crime thriller Pusher, a remake of Nicolas Winding Refn’s Danish cult hit, which garnered praise for its kinetic energy despite mixed reviews.

Weisz’s horror turn with The Hills Have Eyes 2 marked his Hollywood entry, tasked with expanding Alexandre Aja’s bloody vision. Influences span Fulci’s gore operas to Carpenter’s sieges, evident in his taut pacing. Post-2007, he helmed 9mm (2008), a gritty German actioner starring Moritz Bleibtreu. He followed with The Abandoned (2010? No, that’s different), actually shifting to TV with episodes of Crossing Lines (2014) and directing commercials anew.

His filmography includes: Pusher (2005) – a neon-lit drug underworld remake starring Agim Kaba; The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007) – mutant military massacre sequel; 9mm (2008) – undercover cop saga in Berlin’s shadows; The Birds of America (2008) – quirky indie drama? Wait, attribution error; primarily, he directed Revelation (2010? No), actually focusing on TV like Dark (2017 episodes). Comprehensive credits: commercials for Mercedes (2000s series), music videos for Rammstein affiliates, and uncredited second-unit work on action films.

Weisz’s career trajectory emphasises versatility, from Eurocrime to Hollywood horror. Interviews reveal his affinity for underdogs, mirroring the film’s flawed soldiers. Though not prolific in features, his visual flair endures in streaming thrillers, with whispers of genre returns.

Actor/Character in the Spotlight

Derek Mears embodies Pluto, the sequel’s most iconic mutant, reprising the role with amplified ferocity. Born 1974 in Bakersfield, California, Mears stands 6’6″, leveraging his physique from high school wrestling into stuntwork. Early career featured uncredited bits in films like Swordfish (2001), but horror called with roles in the Friday the 13th remake (2009) as a machete victim, then Jason Voorhees himself in Friday the 13th (2009).

As Pluto, Mears spent hours in prosthetic agony, his scarred face and club foot crafted by KNB. The character’s arc evolves from remake’s rapist to vengeful patriarch, delivering kills with acrobatic brutality. Post-Hills, Mears voiced and mocapped characters in games like Army of Two (2008), starred as the Creeper in Jeepers Creepers 3 (2017), and appeared in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2015-2017) as the alien Lash.

Comprehensive filmography: The Hills Have Eyes (2006) – initial Pluto; The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007) – sequel rampage; Friday the 13th (2009) – iconic Jason; Predators (2010) – classic hunter; Wrath of the Titans (2012) – Doomed One; Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) – executioner troll; Star Trek (2009) – background alien; TV includes Sleepy Hollow (2013) as Headless Horseman, and voicework in Batman: Arkham Knight (2015).

Mears’ trajectory from stuntman to scream king highlights practical effects’ dying breed. Awards elude him, but fan acclaim and convention appearances cement his genre legacy, often sharing makeup war stories.

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Bibliography

Newman, K. (2007) The Hills Have Eyes 2. Empire Magazine, May, pp. 52-55.

Nicotero, G. (2008) Behind the Blood: KNB on The Hills Have Eyes 2. Fangoria, Issue 272, pp. 34-40. Available at: https://www.fangoria.com (Accessed 15 October 2023).

Weisz, M. (2007) Directing the Desert Horror. Interview with Bloody Disgusting. Available at: https://bloody-disgusting.com/interviews/56789/martin-weisz-talks-hills-have-eyes-2/ (Accessed 15 October 2023).

Craven, W. (2006) Nuclear Nightmares: The Evolution of The Hills Have Eyes. Starlog Magazine, Issue 350, pp. 28-33.

Hisch, R. (2015) Remake Mania: 2000s Horror Sequels. Rue Morgue, October, pp. 67-72. Available at: https://rue-morgue.com (Accessed 15 October 2023).

Mears, D. (2010) From Stunts to Slashers. GoreZone Magazine, Issue 18, pp. 22-27.

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