The Hills Run Red (2009)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Dave Parker

Writers:

John Carchietta (story)
John Dombrow (written by)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Plot:

A group of young horror fans go searching for a film that mysteriously vanished years ago but instead find that the demented killer from the movie is real, and he's thrilled to meet fans who will die gruesomely for his art. |

Plot Keywords:

Blood Splatter | Torn In Half | Masked Killer | Barbed Wire | Plead For Help

Cast

Sophie Monk	...	Alexa
Tad Hilgenbrink	...	Tyler (as Tad Hilgenbrinck)
William Sadler	...	Concannon
Janet Montgomery	...	Serina
Alex Wyndham	...	Lalo
Ewan Bailey	...	Sonny
Danko Jordanov	...	Babyface (as Danko Iordanov)
Mike Straub	...	Gabe
Hristo Mitzkov	...	Jimbo
Georgi Dimitrov-Bomba	...	Lance
Ekaterina Temelkova	...	Sherri
Raicho Vasilev	...	Babyface actor
Ithai Dyakov	...	Teen Babyface
Itai Diakov	...	Young Babyface
Petya Ivanova	...	Alexa, age 5

MPAA:

Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and torture, grisly images, sexual content, nudity, language and some drug use.

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:R (2009) | New Zealand:R18 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Sofia, Bulgaria

Company:

Dark Castle Entertainment

Movie Connections:

Features Let's All Go to the Lobby (1957)

Decent direct to video slasher, but falls short of the hype

Perhaps I went into it expecting a bit too much having been swept up by the hype train, but aside from a strong third act and a show stealing performance by William Sadler, its hard for me to recommend The Hills Run Red as much more than a movie night rental with friends - even if it is a cut above your typical direct to video horror flick.

The stories premise revolves around Tyler (Tad Hilgenbrink), a film aficionado on the hunt to find a completed print of a lost and legendary 80's slasher film, The Hills Run Red, rumored to be the most brutal and gory little horror gem ever created. Enlisting the help of his girlfriend and best friend, Tyler ventures out into the backwoods in search of the holy grail of gruesome, only to soon discover (as it usually goes with movies in this fine genre of ours) that things aren't quite all that they seem. To say much more would be to potentially give away what story there is and ruin a twist or two that The Hills Run Red works itself up to in the first hour of run time.

Many have compared THRR to a cross between Scream and Wrong Turn, but I'm more inclined to argue it has more in common with John Carpenter's Masters of Horror Episode, Cigarette Burns, than the aforementioned Wed Craven franchise. Fans of the now defunct Showtime series will immediately recognize the not too subtle similarities in the story between Cigarette Burns and THRR, as well as the over the top gore sequences which stand out as big pluses in both films (even if shoddy CGI threatens to ruin a few scenes in the latter). Furthermore, despite being somewhat of a love letter to the horror genre, THRR never quite goes as far in its self awareness and fan boy masturbation as Scream, and quite honestly, this movie is much better off for it. Aside from that, there isn't anything done particularly well here, or at least not better than anything you haven't already seen in any of the source material the film pays homage to. Even the movie's protagonist, "Babyface," looks a bit too inspired by the killer in Dark Ride.

On a positive note, the movie's hands down highlight is William Sadler (most will remember him as Death in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey), who absolutely steals every scene he is in, even if he isn't given enough to do as the lost film's, reclusive and maniacal director. Sadler alone makes the film worth watching, though I'd be hard pressed to recommend The Hills Run Red as more than a rental to be enjoyed with a few friends and a couple of beers. Like other recent direct to video slashers like Hatchet and Laid to Rest, this one comes with a lot of promise but does little to separate itself from the rest of the crop.

Review by Mr. Chainsaw For more of the best genre film reviews, news, opinion articles, and forums, check out www.FromDuskTillCon.com.