The Hills Have Eyes 2
By Cynthia Fuchs,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Gory sequel pits mutants against the military.

A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
Where to Watch
Community Reviews
Based on 6 parent reviews
It's just a movie.
Report this review
exellente Movie
Report this review
What's the Story?
Those yucky desert mutants have resurfaced, this time in search of females for breeding. Their all-male tribalism is underlined in the first scene of THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2, in which a not-so-grotesque-looking woman gives painful birth to a baby and is promptly whacked in the head and killed by a hulking male mutant. The mutants' apparent misogyny is then juxtaposed with the coed U.S. National Guard, whose trainees are working together in a harrowing mock battle set in a desert that passes for Kandahar, Afghanistan. When they're hoodwinked by a woman wailing about her dead babies, it's clear that gender integration has been achieved in contemporary warfare. Still, the young trainees aren't ready for what they discover in New Mexico. They've heard the rumors, of course, that Section 16 was used by the military to test nuclear weapons during the 1950s. But they can't anticipate that, 50 years later, descendents of everyone who was neglected by the government and deformed by radiation would still be looking for vengeance against the able-bodied and, especially, the pretty.
Is It Any Good?
This shocking movie features a disturbingly profuse amount of blood and gore. Battle with the mutants results in all manner of bodily abuse, and the mutants themselves arrive looking mightily pre-abused, their heads and limbs misshapen. After much shooting, hacking, and screaming, the National Guard unit is reduced to its survivor core, at which point they're so angry and anguished that their violent payback takes on particularly sexualized characteristics -- it's all about penetrating bodies and kicking crotches.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the movie's over-the-top violence. Do these gruesome, bloody scenes serve specific functions?
Discuss how the film treats women.
The mutants want to breed with them, and the men want to protect them -- what do the women themselves want?
Movie Details
- In theaters: March 23, 2007
- On DVD or streaming: July 17, 2007
- Cast: Jacob Vargas , Jessica Stroup , Michael McMillian
- Director: Martin Weisz
- Inclusion Information: Latino actors, Female actors
- Studio: Fox Atomic
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 89 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: prolonged sequences of strong gruesome horror violence and gore, a rape and language.
- Last updated: June 20, 2023
Inclusion information powered by
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
Best Horror Movies
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate