The Hills Have Eyes II
Metascore
32 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 18 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 18
  3. Negative: 9 out of 18
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  1. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    38
    The mutants are brain-damaged; the filmmakers don't have that excuse to justify this movie, which is the kind of thing the sergeant would call "a stunning display of individual and group stupidity."
  2. Premiere
    Reviewed by: Glenn Kenny
    38
    As a fan of the genre, and someone who genuinely loves such recent horror efforts as "The Descent" and "The Host," I respectfully suggest that the atmosphere for horror movies might be better if moviemakers stopped making ones like this.
  3. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Jason Anderson
    38
    A perfunctory gore fest and quite possibly the year's worst date movie.
  4. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Gene Seymour
    30
    You'd like to think such bankruptcy of imagination means we've seen the last of these subterranean creeps. But you know they'll be back soon to collect their royalties from the gore hounds who apparently don't care how dull or warmed over the accompanying package.
  5. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    25
    On the whole, this is an awfully long slog through very arid terrain, in which generic soldiers track, fight and try to escape from generic villains (you'd be surprised at how uninteresting mutant flesh-eaters can be). I can't speak for the hills, but I spent most of the movie just trying to keep my eyes open.
  6. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    25
    After this disgrace, it's time to shut the hills' eyes for good.
  7. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    25
    Assembles the most motley group of incompetents this side of a "Police Academy" movie, yet somehow misses the laughs. But humorlessness is probably the least of the film's problems, lagging behind amateur-night performances from the no-name cast, a homogenous visual palette (and from a music-video director, no less!), and lots of pointless sadism.
  8. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    20
    As witless and simpleminded as the irradiated humanoids that serve as the franchise’s bad guys.
  9. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Felix Vasquez, Jr.
    10
    This horror fanatic doesn't have room for Craven in his genre anymore. Collect your cash and call it a day already, Wes.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
4.7 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 88 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 31
  3. Negative: 15 out of 31
  1. oliver1h
    0
    Utter fail on every level! It is not even as cheesy as some 60's or 70's movies, people watch for laughs. This movie is just simply bad. The acting, the story, the effect, everything is the lowest quality. Avoid this like the plague.… Full Review »
  2. scottissoright
    10
    Cool and creepy, i seriously cannot understand why critics hated this movie, are you all high? are you retarded? who knows, either way, i really enjoyed it.… Full Review »
  3. ILHM
    4
    It should have seemed clear to Wes Craven that THE HILLS HAVE EYES was a film best left unto itself after the abysmal follow up he aborted on to the screen back in '85, but for some god awful reason, Fox decided it would be a great idea to allow Wes and his son Jonathan to write another sequel. The second attempt on THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2 is perhaps even worse than the first, save for the gory effects. It follows a group of the most untrained, annoying, and childish 'soldiers' the world has ever known as they investigate an abandoned research facility out in the deserts of New Mexico. As they soon find out, the lab was set up to find evidence of the rumored cannibal clan that was supposed to haunt the location, and more murder and mayhem ensues. THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2 is drowned in poorly drawn characters and dreadful dialog that has the audience cheering for each death. Anyone unfortunate enough to sit through the entire thing will at least be privileged to some excellent brain-splattering and gut-munching goodness, but the pain and suffering endured throughout the rest of the plot hardly seems worth it. It is better to forget that this sequel was ever made in order to spare yourself the unnecessary waste of time. -Carl Manes
    I Like Horror Movies    … Full Review »
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