May 16, 2016

Here’s a bit of fun trivia for you. Did you know there’s actually a HILLS HAVE EYES III? Well, sort of.

Technically, in 1995, Wes Craven produced a screenplay by his son Jonathan Craven and Phil Mittleman under the title of MIND RIPPER. Joe Gayton (screenwriter of the 1996 Adam Sandler/Damon Wayans flick BULLETPROOF) directed MIND RIPPER, which starred Lance Henriksen, Giovanni Ribisi and Natasha Gregson Wagner!

It’s set in a remote desert location where government scientists successfully reanimate and create a superhuman named “Thor.” (No relation to the Marvel superhuman, well…. God.) Thor comes back to life with… well, let’s just say some “issues.” Like most people that have come back from the dead, he’s got a hunger for the flesh of the living. So, cannibalism in the desert. Starting to see the connection?

Although this was released as an HBO film back in 1995 at the height of the direct-to-video boom, the film was retitled THE HILLS HAVE EYES 3, THE HILLS STILL HAVE EYES (my personal favorite title) and THE OUTPOST for foreign markets.

So why mention a long-lost obscure VHS title from 95 that benefited with a slight re-title? Because our friends over at Code Red DVD are putting it out again! Although they don’t specify if it’s DVD or Blu-Ray, we’re assuming it’s a Blu-Ray release as they mention on their Facebook page that they’ll be culling this transfer from a “35mm Interpositive and a Mag soundtrack.” No word yet on an official release date, but be sure to “like” the Code Red DVD page and subscribe for updates so you can stay on top of it.

Earlier this year, I revisited both the original films, as well as the remakes, so I’m looking forward to completing my HILLS HAVE EYES journey when this hits!

Here’s the official MIND RIPPER trailer: