If I see another movie with a bunch of teenagers lost in the middle of nowhere, getting dispatched by a masked killer, I’m going to puke. Can we get some new ideas in this genre, pretty please? The Hills Run Red is your typical slasher movie with a surprising amount of nudity. And even gore toward the end. Sometimes that’s all you want from a movie, something familiar and cozy. Although I’ll have to admit that the plot here is somewhat original in a sense. We have a crazy filmmaker kind of like we did in Midnight Movie, another relatively unknown but decent horror movie.
The Hills Run Red is a movie that fans of the slasher genre will find satisfying. As far as the rest is concerned, it really depends on your taste and mood. I find movies like this oddly relaxing, especially during the work week. After a shitty day at the job, it’s good to watch something you don’t have to think about. And despite the title, The Hills Run Red, this movie has nothing to do with the horror classic The Hills Have Eyes. Speaking of which, just a couple of years ago with got a remake of this seventies oddity and I can tell it’s not half-bad.
William Sadler’s performance here was something otherworldly. I don’t know if he liked the script or what it was, but he was utterly creepy here as the mysterious Concannon. Opposite to him is Sophie Monk, a true pleasure to watch. With a runtime of just over 75 minutes, this is a rather short affair. And this makes it a perfect warm-up movie to start your slasher movie night.
Tyler loves movies and one of his favorite ones is the infamous The Hills Run Red, one of the scariest movies in existence. However, it would appear that every copy of this movie simply vanished without a trace along with its director Concannon. So, Tyler, being the fan that he is, decides to go looking for him along with a couple of his friends. He’s apparently still alive, living in a remote cabin surrounded by nothingness.
Every time I start to think that the slasher genre is dead, it just comes back to life. Kind of like Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th franchise. The Hills Run Red is a movie of two halves. During the first one, we have standard-issue storytelling and a lot of mystery. However, the second part is this perverse and bloody orgy with a nasty atmosphere. There are some genuinely uncomfortable moments here and I guess this is why people compared it to the French classic Martyrs. In my opinion, these two movies are not similar but there you go.
Director: Dave Parker
Writers: David J. Schow, John Dombrow, John Carchietta
Cast: Sophie Monk, William Sadler, Tad Hilgenbrink, Janet Montgomery, Mike Straub
Fun Facts: Five fifty-five gallon drums of fake blood were used for the scene in which the hills run red with blood.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0907676/
