The Hills Have Eyes Part 2

"So you think you're lucky to be alive..."

1985 1h 30m EN

💀

4.3

SKIP

★4.3TMDB · 295

Horror

Synopsis

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A motocross team on their way to trial a new super-fuel head out across the desert lead by Rachel, who, unbeknownst to the rest of the group, is a survivor of the cannibal clan which menaced the Carter family several years before.

“So you think you're lucky to be alive...”

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Cast

Michael Berryman
Pluto
Kevin Spirtas
Roy
John Bloom
The Reaper
Janus Blythe
Rachel / Ruby
Tamara Stafford
Cass
Colleen Riley
Jane
Willard E. Pugh
Foster
Penny Johnson Jerald
Sue

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Wes Craven
Writers: Wes Craven
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Hills Have Eyes (Original) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Wes Craven, shot by David Lewis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Harry Manfredini. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard Bracken shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Wes Craven directs. David Lewis behind the camera. Harry Manfredini scores. Richard Bracken cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
341 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
5Part of the "The Hills Have Eyes (Original) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Wes Craven, shot by David Lewis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Harry Manfredini. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Richard Bracken shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Michael Berryman and Kevin Spirtas and John Bloom carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "So you think you're lucky to be alive...".
11IMDB entry: tt0089274 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 9 themes, including "bus ride", "sequel", "cannibal", "desert".
13Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: David Lewis
Original score: Harry Manfredini
Editing: Richard Bracken
Production design: Dominick Bruno
Costume design: Taryn De Chellis
Makeup / hair: Ken Horn
Sound: William Gazecki
Stunt coordinator: Tony Cecere
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $700,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 (1985)

Part of

The Hills Have Eyes (Original) Collection

Two tales of cannibalistic carnage, both written and directed by Wes Craven, about a mutant clan lurking in a desert.

Also by

Wes Craven

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2018-10-26
★ 4/10
I swear this music is straight out of the earlier Friday the 13th movies... Either way, if you don't count Mindripper (and you shouldn't), this is the worst of the Hills Have Eyes franchise. Though they do scream a little less, and my ears thank Part II for that. Final rating:★★ - Had some things that appeal to me, but a poor finished product.
JPV8522019-10-08
★ 3/10
Maybe I was tired but man this was a boring ass horror movie. Really didn't care for this one at all and the only surprising element was the dog actually survived. 1.5/5
RottenPop2024-08-31
★ 2/10
Wes Craven brings us an unlikely sequel to one of his most infamous films. The Hills Have Eyes Part II is a very low-budget survival horror film that is, like many, a victim of studio meddling. The film was written by Craven and had originally been planned to be much longer. However, production was halted after the budget ran out. The film stars Michael Berryman, Kevin Spirtas, John Bloom, Janus Blythe, Tamara Stafford, and a number of acting school graduates. It was filmed in 1983 but didn’t get a release until October 5th, 1984, at the Sitges Film Festival. A group of young adults ventures into the desert for a motocross event, not far from the location of the first film. Unbeknownst to them, one of their own was once part of the cannibalistic family that inhabits the barren wasteland. There is some really cool stuff in this movie, but it’s no wonder why Wes Craven wanted to remove his name from the finished product. It’s very disappointing. And kind of a surprise considering this film followed Deadly Blessing and Swamp Thing. Both movies, while not perfect, were far more impressive. But also considering that this is before Craven had blown up with A Nightmare on Elm Street, we can see why studios were hesitant to cough up big bucks. They just didn't have the confidence in old Abe Snake. With a bigger budget, this film might have had blockbuster potential. However, given Craven's admission that he was motivated by money, perhaps its fate was sealed regardless. The lack of funds had terrible effects on the film, leaving a good portion of it unfinished as Craven went on to work on Nightmare on Elm Street. And, following the success of that feature, the studios granted permission for Craven to finish the rest of The Hills Have Eyes Part II but without any more money or any more filming. Meaning we have a ton of padded-out time using clips from the first film across multiple flashback sequences. And these are full, uncut scenes, not just highlights from the first picture. Infamously, the dog Beast even has a flashback sequence. It's absolutely absurd. Aside from recycling footage from the first film, composer Harry Manfredini recycles music that was used in Friday the 13th pictures. Everything is just recycled, with a few new elements thrown in, that's about it. I don't know how else to try and sell what we've got going on here. It's not very scary. There aren't very many creative murders or kills. And the pace is extremely slow. That all being said, this film is undeniably more ambitious than its predecessor, injecting some humor into the mix. Michael Berryman, a friend of RottenPop, gets significantly more screen time and dialogue – these movies are practically showcases for his talent. And not one of us is mad at that. One scene, a hilarious callback to the first film involving Beast the dog and Berryman's character Pluto, is particularly brilliant. The way it mirrors the original is spot-on, and I absolutely loved it. Aside from a few Motocross scenes, this is the best part of the movie. However, I didn't find myself hating this movie nearly as much as most of the internet does. As stated above, Michael Berryman is awesome and we love his work. The rest of the cast is… alright, I guess. Tamara Stafford is fine. She plays a blind character, so she's working with that poorly. Robert Houston returns from the first movie to have a mental breakdown. And we also get Janus Blythe returning as Ruby. The maniac candlestick family has been whittled down to just about only Pluto Jupiter and newcomer The Reaper Jupiter? A new character who's apparently the older brother of the main antagonist in the first film. If you've already seen the first movie, then watch this movie just so that you can complete the cycle. It's not necessary viewing, but myself and the rest of the RottenPop crew are a bit of completionists. We need to finish what we start. Even if it hurts. And this one hurts. If you're a Michael Berryman fan like we are, then this is going to be up your alley. If you like weird s*, then take a look at it and see what you think. RottenPop gives this one two stars.