Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

The Hills Have Eyes 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 8, 2021

If fans of Halloween are disappointed that the "scary season" is already over (though some curmudgeons may feel like the upcoming onslaught of other celebrations will be frightening in their own way), Arrow Video comes to the rescue, if that's the right word, with their latest 4K UHD release, Wes Craven's memorable 1977 horror opus The Hills Have Eyes. This is another 4K UHD offering from Arrow which does not include the previous 1080 disc, but it does have the supplements that initial Limited Edition offered. According to verbiage included in the insert booklet (see below), this is evidently based off the same master that Turbine Medien released earlier this year for the German market.

Arrow's 1080 Limited Edition of The Hills Have Eyes appeared back in 2016, and for those wanting a plot recap, I refer you to my The Hills Have Eyes Blu-ray review of that version.

The Hills Have Eyes 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from Arrow's 1080 version, which is not included in this package.

The Hills Have Eyes is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with a 2160p transfer in 1.78:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the restoration (which largely but not entirely echoes the verbiage in their booklet included in their previous Limited Edition 1080 release):

The Hills Have Eyes is presented in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio with its original mono soundtrack as well as stereo and 7.1 mixes. The Hills Have Eyes was shot on 16mm and the grainy appearance is true to the source materials.

The film was scanned in 4K on a Northlight Film Scanner, selecting the reels in the best condition from 2 separate 35mm CRI elements struck from the 16mm AB negative reels, which have been lost. The optical stoundtrack was transferred from original 35mm print elements.

All restoration work was completed at Gamma Ray Digital, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Scanning and grading was overseen by Perry Paolantonio and the restoration work was supervised by Benn Robbins.

The 4K UHD grading was completed by Jan Frederick Kuhn and Benjamin Albrecht at LSP Medien in Uelzen.

The 4K restored HDR master was supplied by Turbine Medien GmbH.

Some may be interested to look over my comments about the 1080 presentation in our original The Hills Have Eyes Blu-ray review to provide a little context on what is on tap in this presentation. I've mentioned some near "swamp like" grain in some optically zoomed material in some previous 4K UHD releases from Arrow, and for those fearing the same situation is going to be the case with this 16mm source, the good news is that while, yes, rough, gritty and extremely thick at times, grain actually resolves surprisingly well in this increased resolution. There are also clear upticks in detail, especially in the more brightly lit outdoor moments. However, this 4K UHD version is considerably darker looking than the 1080 release from Arrow, something which ironically can almost tend to slightly mask grain at times, but which can also keep fine detail levels slightly muted in the darkest moments. All of this said, I actually preferred the look of the palette in this release to Arrow's 1080 version, which had an almost unnaturally "perky" appearance at times, undercutting some of the film's more troubling subtext (and/or text). The color timing here also looked better to my eyes, without the beet red flesh tones and other overly hot aspects that were part of the 1080 presentation. There are still some unavoidable variances in color temperature, clarity and grain structure in accordance with some of my comments about the 1080 presentation, but considering the smaller format source, this is a surprisingly strong looking transfer, at least for those coming to it with appropriate contextual expectations.

The Hills Have Eyes 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kind of interestingly, given the frequent emphasis on improvements in video when 4K UHD releases appear, Arrow is offering upgraded audio on this release, in another echoing (no pun intended) of the previous German 4K UHD release by Turbine. In addition to the fine if narrow DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track that sounded pretty identical to the LPCM Mono track that was released by Arrow on their Limited Edition 1080 disc from several years ago, this release also sports a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. The surround track definitely opens up things in terms of ambient environmental effects and scoring, and it is thankfully free of the phasing that can sometimes accompany these repurposings, but it is probably not going to blow anyone's minds (and/or ears) in terms of showy effects. The stereo track is somewhat more spacious than the mono rendering, but again is not overly wide. All of this said, fidelity is fine across all three tracks, and dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Hills Have Eyes 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This 4K UHD release ports over the supplements from Arrow's Limited Edition 1080 release of several years ago. Timings may vary by just a second or two from the ones listed below, which are repeated from my original review of the 1080 release.

• Looking Back on The Hills Have Eyes (1080i; 54:35) is a well done retrospective featuring interviews with Wes Craven, Peter Locke, Michael Berryman, Janus Blythe, Robert Houston, Susan Lanier, Dee Wallace and Eric Saarinen.


• Family Business (1080p; 16:08) is an interview with Martin Speer.


• The Desert Sessions (1080p; 11:00) is an interview with composer Don Peake.


• Alternate Ending (1080p; 11:34) is also available via seamless branching under the Play menu if you want to watch the film that way.


• Outtakes (1080p; 18:57)


• Trailers and TV Spots

  US Trailer (1080p; 2:43)

  German Trailer (1080p; 2:46)

  TV Spots (1080p; 1:54)

• Image Gallery (1080p)


• Audio Commentaries

  Audio Commentary with Cast

  Audio Commentary with Wes Craven and Peter Locke

  Audio Commentary with Mikel J. Koven



• Original Screenplay (BD-ROM content)

Additionally, this deluxe edition comes housed in a sturdy chipboard case which includes a nicely illustrated booklet with essays and stills. There's also a reversible fold out poster and six postcards.

The Hills Have Eyes 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Other Craven films are better plotted and certainly more stylishly shot, but The Hills Have Eyes has an unusual intensity and visceral impact which has helped to make it such a cult item over the years. Yes, it's resolutely silly. But it's scary silly. I mentioned the inherent issues with problematic video in our original review of Arrow's Limited Edition 1080 release, and this 4K UHD version ameliorates many of them while being unable to completely eliminate all of them, though to my eyes, this is a rather surprisingly strong transfer of a limited source element. As usual with this label, the supplemental package is top notch. Recommended.