The correct order to watch The Hills Have Eyes franchise

You don’t need to get fancy with the display order the “The Hills Have Eyes” films.. You could also stick to the release order listed below:

• “The Hills Have Eyes” by Wes Craven (1977)
• “The Hills Have Eyes – Part II” by Wes Craven (1985)
• “The Mind Ripper” by Joe Gayton (1995)
• “The Hills Have Eyes” by Alexandre Aja (2006)
• “The Hills Have Eyes 2” by Martin Weisz (2007)

Craven returned to “The Hills Have Eyes” only in 1985 for mercenary reasons, wanting to turn the 70s classic into an 80s slasher series, a la “Halloween” or “Friday the 13th.” Craven didn’t know something similar was about to happen with his 1984 film “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”

Craven wrote the screenplay for “The Hills Have Eyes: Part III,” a film he originally intended to take place in space (!), though that version of the project ultimately fell through. Instead, Craven oversaw a more earthy version of “The Hills Have Eyes III,” co-written by his son Jonathan and Phil Mittleman. At the last minute, however, “The Hills Have Eyes III” was rewritten to remove all references to “The Hills Have Eyes Part II” and became a separate entity called “Mind Ripper”. Craven only produced the one, and it only counts as a “Hills” film. True completionists, however, should include it.

Alexandre Aja’s 2006 remake somewhat modified the premise of Craven’s film, explicitly stating that the desert-bound hillbillies were mutated by local bomb tests and were made bloodthirsty – and much stronger – through radiation exposure. 2006 saw a rise in horror nihilism, so Aja’s film is raw, brutal and dirty. It was originally supposed to be released with an NC-17 rating, but was later toned down to an R rating.

The sequel to the 2007 remake sent the military to assassinate mutants. It’s a silly premise and a silly movie. There hasn’t been a “Hills” movie since.