Review: Horror Classic 'The Hills Have Eyes' Roars Onto 4K Blu-ray Courtesy of Arrow

Horror master Wes Craven smashed conventions and used tropes to open up dialogue about failing American ideals in his 1977 hit "The Hills Have Eyes." What could be taken as your standard cannibal thriller only opens up multitudes the more you compare the supposed "enemies" to the story's "heroes." And to further that divide between hero and enemy, Craven gives his horrific foils genuine character development. But what remains most striking about this seminal horror film is the craftsmanship on display, despite the very limited resources used for the production.

Arrow Films upgrades their previous 2016 Blu-ray release of "The Hills Have Eyes" to stunning 4K UHD with HDR10 encoding accompanying the 4K presentation. The presentation is sourced from a 4K restoration of the film culled from two separate 35mm CRI elements, as the original 16mm AB negative reels are thought to be lost. As the film was short on 16mm originally, it should go without saying that this presentation has a lot of film grain, creating extensive textures bolstered even more by the 4K resolution and HDR10 color grading.

Worth noting here is that this presentation looks marginally darker than the 2016 Blu-ray release. I don't have the proper information to speak to how this presentation sizes up to the original film in terms of brightness, but I do have the proper information to tell you that the slight push darker is greatly enhanced by the HDR and 4K resolution. This all adds up to an incredible, film-like release that does Wes Craven's seminal work more than enough justice.

Arrow has carried over all of the supplements from their 2016 Blu-ray release, which should be more than enough to satisfy the appetite of any horror fan. There was already an extensive list of supplements on that previous release, including a making-of documentary that breathlessly details the ramshackle production and the crazy auteur at the head of it all. Also included is a nice fold-out poster, some lobby cards, and a 40-page booklet with terrific writing on the film and its lasting legacy.

"The Hills Have Eyes" is an odd choice for Arrow to upgrade to 4K, but they easily prove here that the 4K format can show even more nuances, colors, and overall fidelity than standard 1080p, even when the source was shot on 16mm. This terrific package of a horror classic is worth your attention and then some.

Other special features include:

� Audio commentary with actors Michael Berryman, Janus Blythe, Susan Lanier and Martin Speer
� Audio commentary by academic Mikel J. Koven
� Audio commentary with Wes Craven and Peter Locke
� "Family Business" – an interview with actor Martin Speer
� "The Desert Sessions " -- an interview with composer Don Peake
� Outtakes
� Alternate ending
� Trailers and TV Spots
� Image gallery
� Original screenplay
� Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper

"The Hills Have Eyes" is now available on 4K Blu-ray from Arrow Films.