According
to Wes Craven’s THE
HILLS HAVE EYES 2, the lucky ones get eaten first. We however
were lucky enough to eat first when invited to indulge in an all
exclusive breakfast. Fox Atomic hosted the event at NY Comic Con to
promote Craven’s horrific remake-sequel thus reviving nasty
nightmares of mutant cannibal freaks with insatiable appetites for
human destruction.
What
a tantalizing way to jump-start the morning, wouldn’t you say?
Arriving bright and early, I sat myself at one of the
roundtables with the group of attendees in a packed room adorned
with large Hills 2 posters and two flat screens replaying the Hills
2 trailer. Shortly after, we
were greeted and joined by the horror guru Wes Craven, Craven junior
aka Jonathan and two of the film’s actresses, Jessica Stroup and
Daniella Alonso.
Both
actresses were beautiful as expected of scream queens.
Although bearing no physical resemblance whatsoever, father
and son shared a similar sense of casual dress style and relaxed
attitude. Feeling privileged
to be among the chosen bunch treated to this fortunate breakfast, it
was disappointing to learn that there wouldn’t be time for
official roundtable interviews. In
anticipation for mutant scene revelations, the lights dimmed down
and a special sneak peak commenced. We
continued feasting on a tasty selection of eggs, bacon, sausages,
waffles with a side serving of repulsive, disturbing images of
mutant deformities terrorizing the unassuming National Guards who
have substituted the Carters (from the first movie).
Before
revealing the nitty gritty, let me begin with a short synopsis of
Hills 2, which differs slightly from its classic 1985 remake.
The 1985 film unraveled the suspenseful tale of a group of
bikers consisting of survivors from the original 1977 film,
embarking on a bus journey to a biker race near the desert of the
infamous Carter incident. You’d
think they learnt the first time! Fateful
terror ensued the biker bunch as the bus broke down.
Unable
to recast Brenda Carter played by Emilie de Ravin in the 2005 THE
HILLS HAVE EYES due to scheduling conflict, Craven pursued an
alternate approach. In a time
of war and terrorism, Craven thought it best to integrate the
current political issues and send a group of brave National Guard
trainees on a frightful journey into the New Mexican desert aka
cursed mutant territory. Unbeknownst
to them, they’ll be greeted with inexplicable terror and
monstrosities that will be have them begging for a quick death.
Due
to a tight deadline in producing the screenplay, papa Craven
recruited son Craven to co-write an evil mutant masterpiece.
Together the Cravens joined intellectual forces, got their
evil juices flowing and bore to my understanding, an even more
gruesome plot plaguing the adventurers with even more savagery.
The anticipated result is said to be a nail-bighting,
chair-clenching, heart-stopping roller coater ride.
Proceeding
with the exclusive clip, the scene opened to a special gruesome
treat, or possibly A SPOILER
for some. It was a gory,
graphic birthing scene of a tortured and obviously imprisoned young
girl pushing and screaming in agony. Kept
alive for the purpose of breeding, the excruciating scene ended with
the birth of a very bloody, deformed human/mutant baby followed by
her final decapitation with a heavy wooden looking club.
What
especially intensified and heightened the anguish of this girl was
in the way in which the scene initially opened: in silence and
zoomed in on the screaming girl thus relating to her state of
distress and sense of urgency. It’s
like a bad nightmare in which you try to scream but nothing comes
out. We were also shown a
montage of various clips from the horror, which confirmed that these
Guards would be battling for their lives mostly in the underground
desert caves. One observation;
expect more blood, guts and gore in part 2 than in part 1 (if
fathomable.)
Following
the nauseating scene came the unleashing of the press.
The master of horrors and company dispersed as the hungry
journalists spread like wildfire circling mostly Wes Craven in an
attempt to partake in the informal Q and A granted for a brief time
before being whisked away to attend to their busy schedules.
One nuisance that interfered, if not annoyed, most people
during the interview period was the continuous replay of the Hills 2
trailer on full volume. Proven
effective, its tantalizing theme song “Insect Eyes” by Devendra
Banhart still haunts me.
To
follow are some interesting points and facts learnt about the
stomach- turning and violent sequel THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2, its
creators and cast.
Wes
Craven:
Jonathan
Craven
Jessica
Stroup
Me alongside Jonathan Craven
Unfortunately
I didn’t have a chance to speak with Daniella Alonso who portrays
‘tough on the outside, soft on the inside’ Missy in Hills 2, but
she is absolutely beautiful in real life.
After
our breakfast shindig wrapped up, I headed out to tour the grounds
of my first official Comic Con. To
describe it in one word – chaotic!
There were thousands of people circling the booths, costumes,
games, comic books, posters, T’s, figurines, dolls and anything
else you can imagine! Encircled
by all the elaborate and creative costumes almost made me want to
trick or treat. One treat I
took away from this whole experience was an immense appreciation and
admiration for the genuine enthusiasm expressed by all the
‘geeks’ who got their freak on!
It was truly a magnificent experience!
Stay
tuned for my one-on-one interview with Wes Craven.
The
Hills Have Eyes 2 opens March 23rd, brace yourselves!