There remained one final element essential to the film’s relentless tale of terror: finding a set of desert hills so remote and so eerie that anything could happen once you entered them. Explains director Alexandre Aja: “The hills of THE HILLS HAVE EYES are a character themselves. In a sense they are the lead bad guy of the movie. So we had to find a place that was truly creepy, strange and scary.”
Rather than return to the Victorville location of the original shoot, the filmmakers broadened their location search across the globe. Their quest took them to Namibia, South Africa, New Mexico, Mexico, California and finally to Morocco, where at last they found the necessary combination of affordability and unusually haunting landscapes. There, they found their stand-in for an atomic wasteland in Ouarzazate, known as “the gateway to the Sahara Desert.” “It really was the best location,” says Aja. “With 360 degree views of nothing but jagged rock it was perfect for the movie. As soon as we arrived, we knew this was it.”
Though the cast and crew were excited about traveling to this exotic desert location for the 45-day shoot, it turned out to be a grueling undertaking in which they faced extreme wind and heat along with typical Third World conditions. Temperatures soared to 120 degrees at times – high enough to melt latex makeup -- and daily sandstorms whipped the production into a frenzy. But the sweat, grime and daily rigors also became an advantage -- only adding to the actors’ sense of being in an all-out fight for survival.
Comments Kathleen Quinlan: “Many days on the set it was 115 and the wind was whipping this red fine dust all over us and we realized that we didn’t have to act overwhelmed because we already were. The elements turned out to really add to the experience.” Adds Aaron Stanford: “Shooting in Ouarzazate also helped to create the realistic family dynamic among the cast because in such an isolated place with such tough conditions we had to bond together.”
Indeed, sixteen different nationalities came together to make the film, and despite language barriers and cultural differences, the international crew also brought a tremendous exchange of ideas and creativity to the set. Marianne Maddalena summarizes: “Everybody had one thing in common which is that they wanted to do a great job. Alex and Gregory inspired us all.”
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