THE HILLS HAVE EYES PART II (1985)
directed by: Wes Craven
starring: Tamara Stafford, Kevin Blair, Janus Blythe, and Michael Berryman
plot: Bobby (Robert Houston) and Ruby (Janus Blythe), now civilized and under the alias Rachel, run a motorcycle racing team and are preparing for a race in the desert. Bobby chickens out, leaving Ruby in charge. On the way, the group gets lost and must take a shortcut close to where the original horrors took place. They decide to stay for the night, which is a bad idea, because Ruby's brother Pluto (Michael Berryman) and uncle Reaper (John Bloom) roam the area, picking off the friends one by one. Soon, only a few survivors are left - including blind Cass (Tamara Stafford) and Ruby, and they must try to stay alive.
my thoughts: I've heard so many bad reviews about this film. I heard it was the worst sequel ever, and that it was mostly just a bunch of flashbacks from the original.
I finally got my hands on it and watched it with an open mind. I was not disappointed at all.
The flashbacks are only within the first 20 minutes. Bobby flashes back to his and Brenda's final battle with Jupiter, Ruby flashes back to helping Doug fight Mars and save the baby, and even the dog (Beast) flashes back to when he attacked the crap out of Pluto. Once the action begins, the flashbacks end. And the dog flash back did not bother me at all, I found it very cute.
The characters are your usual 80's teens. Some are annoying, but I did like a few - Cass (Tamara Stafford), Roy (Kevin Blair), and Hulk (John Laughlin) were very sympathetic. The others were either annoying or not interesting at all. The return of Ruby and Bobby was also a good idea. I loved watching Ruby seek redemption by saving the others, and Bobby has a small but smart part. It's nice to actually see a character that is smart and stays behind.
Michael Berryman returning as Pluto had it's pros and cons. I loved seeing his conflict with the dog Beast, but I also hated how in the original he was very menacing and creepy, here he is comic relief. At least The Reaper (John Bloom) was a big, strong, savage villain who didn't talk too much.
If you can ignore the unoriginality and the cheesiness of it all, then sit back and enjoy THE HILLS HAVE EYES PART II.
