The Hills Run Red – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Sep 30, 2009, 15:13 GMT

A film fanatic\'s obsession with finding a complete print of a classic slasher movie leads him and two friends into the backwoods where the film was shot. They realize too late that filming never ended -- the movie\'s star, the deformed, murderous BABY FACE, and his twisted family continue to film and kill unsuspecting victims. Now our heroes must survive the nightmarish onslaught or become part of the movie forever. ...more

“That is hardcore. That is hardcore!”

A group of teens go in search of a legendary lost film and finds that instead of a fiction that the murderous killer is all too real.  

In 1982, Wilson Wyler Concannon (William Sadler) made a movie so shocking and horrific that it only played in several theaters before Concannon and his film disappeared.  Only a battered trailer remains. 

The movie, The Hills Run Red, has become legend.  Tyler (Tad Hilgenbrinck) is obsessed with finding the film.  He tracks down Concannon’s junkie daughter Alexa (Sophie Monk) and weans her off heroin (in record time by the way).  She appeared in the film as a child and is soon remembering bits from her past. 

Tyler sets off with her, his girlfriend Serina (Janet Montgomery) and his best friend Lalo (Alex Wyndham) into the deep dark woods to try and find the film.  What they find is Babyface, the demented killer from the film, is real and he’s interested in shooting some sequels.

I like movies about movies (and also books about books).  I also like horror movies when they’re done well.  The Hills Run Red is done well enough.  At first I thought this was going to be a “cousin” picture to Cigarette Burns from the Masters of Horror series.  Both feature a lost film that has grown into a horrifying legend. 

That’s the only connection as the Masters episode has a more supernatural bent.  It’s also channeling those gory 1970s classics like Texas Chainsaw Massacre since the legendary film in question has that grimy, gory feel. The movie tries to have some twists and turns but you’ll see most of them coming. 

The cast certainly is game with William Sadler having a great time chewing the scenery as the delightfully named Wilson Wyler Concannon.  The film also ends on a glummer note that makes it fit in with those 1970 flicks.  It doesn’t get anywhere classic status but it was a fun watch and had a lot of stuff that intrigued me.

It’s also a bit refreshing to have a film that proudly wears it’s R-rating proudly and doesn’t skimp on the gore and nudity, unlike the over sanitized PG-13 horrors.  

The Hills Run Red is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  Special features include a commentary with director Dave Parker, writer David J. Schow, and producer Robert Meyer Burnett.  Next is the 28 minute making of “It’s not Real Until You Shoot it.”

The Hills Run Red actually does run red.  The film is certainly a throwback to those gory 1970s chillers and even has the novelty of being a movie about a movie.  Some of the plot twists are certainly telegraphed and shouldn’t come as a surprise to you, but I did admire what the filmmakers did with the material.  

The Hills Run Red is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for an Oct. 16th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.