THE HILLS HAVE EYES — * — Aaron Stanford, Emilie de Ravin, Dan Byrd; rated R (violence, gore, profanity, rape, vulgarity, brief drugs).

Based on the film's composition and construction, a case could be made that "The Hills Have Eyes" redo is competently, if not skillfully, made. Unfortunately, that just means this sickeningly violent and gory horror-thriller is skillfully made trash.

The film's violence-against-women and child-in-peril aspects ensure that it is beyond repulsive, reaching reprehensible depths.

Like the original "Hills Have Eyes," a 1977 cult hit directed by Wes Craven, this one supposes that members of a few Southwest communities were unable or unwilling to evacuate before the United States conducted nuclear testing there. In this fictional yarn, the resulting bomb tests created a handful of "nuclear families," made up of cannibalistic mutants that prey on stranded motorists and other unsuspecting travelers.

The unfortunate group that crosses paths with them here is the Carter clan, seven members of a family on their way to San Diego to celebrate the wedding anniversary of the parents (Ted Levine and Kathleen Quinlan).

But a malevolent gas-station attendant steers them in the wrong direction, and a resulting auto mishap strands them in the middle of the New Mexico desert. Things go from bad to worse when the psychotic mutants show up and begin picking off family members one by one.

French filmmaker Alexandre Aja ("High Tension") clearly has talent, though he wastes it with this nonsense.

He also kills off his characters in order of intelligence and appeal, leaving us with the most annoying and dumbest characters for most of the film. Not to spoil anything, but they're the ones played by Aaron Stanford, Emilie de Ravin and Dan Byrd. (Screen veterans Levine and Quinlan are slumming here, and their characters are dispatched pretty quickly.)

"The Hills Have Eyes" is rated R for strong scenes of horror violence (including stabbings, beatings, ax attacks, shootings, vehicular violence and some explosive mayhem), graphic gore, occasional use of strong sexual profanity, a rape scene, some vulgar sexual references and gestures, and some brief drug references (to marijuana use). Running time: 106 minutes.

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