The Hills Have Eyes

The Hills Have Eyes is currently streaming in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the UK on Disney Plus, and its case-by-case structure never gets in the way of the bigger story. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. With 3,390 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Watch Aaron Stanford work — the performance is a masterclass in restraint. Available now on Disney Plus — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

There is a reason The Hills Have Eyes keeps coming up in conversation. The plotting gives The Hills Have Eyes its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. 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. Credit to Aaron Stanford and Dan Byrd for grounding it — this is a cast that earns the twists. It was released in 2006. The Hills Have Eyes is at its best in the quiet scenes between the plot beats, where the character work actually happens. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Viewers who think they have seen every crime drama tend to find The Hills Have Eyes proves them wrong. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Aaron Stanford's performance is the kind that shows up on best-of lists years later. If you have been looking for something to fill the gap left by a recently finished story, this is a reliable answer.