The Hills Run Red starts off with a really creepy person cutting his face off. Yeah, what a way to start! I like that they grab your attention from the very beginning without letting you know if that scene is even real or just part of a movie. Right after that scene, there is text that describes a movie made in the early 80's called "The Hills Run Red." Apparently, it was so gruesome that it was pulled from theaters immediately and there is no existing copy. The only thing left of it is a trailer showing a killer called Babyface. The director has also disappeared off the face of the earth, making this movie one of the most elusive horror movies ever. Horror movie buff and film student Tyler (Tad Hilgenbrinck) decides that he is going to find this film and make a documentary about it. At this point, the movie really reminds me of one of the Masters of Horror episodes called "Cigarette Burns," which if you haven't even seen, you should! Anyway, Tyler will go to any lengths to find the film, including kidnapping the director's daughter, Alexa (Sophie Monk), and cleaning her off of drugs so she can take them to the film.
Tyler gets his best friend Lalo (Alex Wyndham) and his girlfriend Serina (Janet Montgomery) to go along with he and Alexa to the original location of the film way out in the woods, which is the last place Alexa remembers seeing the film. Now I realize this is starting to sound a lot like any other slasher you've seen. Four young adults are camping in the woods where a super-human monster is reported to live. You know nothing good can come of it. First, they are set upon by a group of rednecks that they had interviewed earlier in the nearest town. Just when they think that's bad enough, Babyface, the real super-human monster, shows up and makes things a thousand times worse! Now I know this sounds like just another slasher, but I promise you from here on out, it is nothing like anything you've seen before. I can't tell you anymore without risking ruining something, but trust me, it is a really well done movie!
The Hills Run Red is a very disturbing movie on a few different levels once everything is revealed. On the surface, there's the sheer amount of death and torture. But then there are little things, like when Babyface speaks and his voice and speech are perfectly normal. It makes the monster even more horrible when you know that he could, or maybe could have been normal under certain circumstances. The level of detail that they go into to make this movie disturb you on so many levels is just amazing.
The DVD also has two special features, the movie with commentary from the director, Dave Parker, the writer, David J. Schow, and the producer, Robert Meyer Burnett, and a "Making-of" featurette. Both of these give you even more background on the movie and more details that you might not have caught the first time around. I highly recommend that you take the time to see them as well.
If you can't tell by now, I really enjoyed The Hills Run Red. The more I sit and think about it, the more I find in it that I just loved. It is a refreshing change from the generic slasher film that seems to be made over and over. It is not a movie for everyone though. There is sex, torture, violence, and a lot of blood. If you can't handle these things, stay away. Otherwise, I highly recommend getting The Hills Run Red today. It's one of the best horror movies I've seen in a long time!
