The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

The Hills Have Eyes parents guide

The thing to know: strong sex and nudity, and extreme gore, more than an R usually carries. Beyond that, intense fear and several jump scares.

Scare

Terrifying

Our top level for fear.

Jump scares

Several

More than a couple of sudden jolts.

Gore

Extreme gore

Our top level for gore.

Violence

Brutal violence

Our top level for violence.

Sex and nudity

Strong

Strong means explicit or repeated sex, extended nudity, or sexual assault shown on screen, attempted or completed, even partly off screen. Any one of these is enough.

Language

Strong

Frequent strong profanity or slurs.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is The Hills Have Eyes scary?

Yes. The Hills Have Eyes is one of the scariest titles in the CouchRot catalog.

How gory is The Hills Have Eyes?

Extreme gore and brutal violence. If graphic gore is a dealbreaker, skip it.

What is The Hills Have Eyes rated, and is it OK for kids?

No. It is rated R, with intense fear, several jump scares, and strong sex and nudity.

What is The Hills Have Eyes about?

Based on Wes Craven's 1977 suspenseful cult classic, The Hills Have Eyes is the story of a family road trip that goes terrifyingly awry when the travelers become stranded in a government atomic zone. Miles from nowhere, the Carter family soon realizes the seemingly uninhabited wasteland is actually the breeding ground of a blood-thirsty mutant family...and they are the prey.

Cast and crew

More like The Hills Have Eyes

• The Shining (1980)Terrifying · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingA family's isolated winter retreat becomes a slow-burn descent into chilling, surreal madness.
• Obsession (2026)Properly scary · extreme gore · brutal violence · emotionally heavyA hopeless romantic's wish for love turns chillingly dark, as desire comes with a sinister, pulpy price.
• Evil Dead Rise (2023)Terrifying · extreme gore · brutal violence · emotionally heavyA family reunion becomes a relentless, gritty battle for survival against flesh-possessing demons.
• 30 Days of Night (2007)Terrifying · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally heavyAn Alaskan town endures a month of darkness and a relentless vampire assault, leaving a chilling, bleak struggle for survival.
• Carrie (1976)Properly scary · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingA bullied teenager with a fanatically pious mother discovers telekinetic powers, leading to chilling and violent events.
• 28 Days Later (2002)Properly scary · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally heavyA relentless, chilling struggle for survival unfolds as a killer virus creates homicidal maniacs.
• I Saw the Devil (2010)Properly scary · extreme gore · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingA secret agent hunts a serial killer with relentless vengeance, becoming a monster in a bleak, gritty pursuit.
• Don't Breathe 2 (2021)Properly scary · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally heavyA blind man's quiet life shatters when he must confront ruthless criminals to save an orphaned girl.

The Hills Have Eyes is on our Scariest, Slashers, Horror on Prime Video and Horror on Tubi lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a horror movie that's actually scary”
• “scary but not gory”
• “a thriller with a twist, no spoilers”

Lists with the same feel: Goriest and Most violent.