THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2 [R]

Having been written by Wes Craven and his son, Jonathan, one would think that maybe — just maybe — the sequel to the 2006 remake of the elder Craven’s 1977 cult classic would not be the total travesty everyone feared, and perhaps unfairly, would become. A group of dysfunctional National Guard trainees encounter that meddling brood of kill-hungry mutants in the New Mexico desert, where these soldiers of misfortune — wannabe Rambos all — are dispatched in sick, bone-crunching ways. The largely unknown cast traipses through each scene with embarrassing results. Characters are one-dimensional at best, and everyone who, by the end, is to survive the carnage can easily be spotted within the first 20 seconds of their first appearance. Painfully green German music video director Martin Weisz’s direction is predictable and dreary, and he really offers horror fans nothing new here. One bright spot is the outstanding makeup by Oscar winning FX masters KNB, with enough gore to sate even the most avid gorehound. Unfortunately, though, this is like putting a dress on a pig (because after all it is still a pig in a dress), as this lazy and clueless cash-grab adds up to the worst horror film of the year so far. –Richard Caron