Friday, December 8, 2017

The Hills Run Red (2009)





Quite frankly, this is one of the best truly independent shoestring-budget horror films that I've ever seen.

The story is familiar... three young film-makers setting off on a fact-finding quest to get the scoop on a long-missing movie rumored to be the most disgusting thing ever put on celluloid. They soon discover that the film wasn't fictional and the masked killer is still out there.

On the creativity level, I was very impressed with both the characters and the story itself. It has all the obligatory trappings of a slasher film: sexy naked women, vulnerable young people in the woods, a masked killer with a strange backstory, unpleasant "locals", and lots of bloody kill scenes.

But something that set it apart from the common lot was how it approached each of these seemingly essential ingredients. For example, who would have thought you'd get better cell phone reception on a mountain in the woods as opposed to in the city? Being horror-savvy characters, someone did in fact think to bring a defense weapon while tromping around in the woods at night. Like I said, a different approach to a common issue in these kinds of movies.

The "Babyface" character is very stereotypical as a silent, masked menace. Well, almost silent. He has one line in the movie that is so incredibly well-placed and delivered that I almost stood up and cheered. This movie was just full of cinematic surprises for this jaded horror fan.

Certainly not for the kiddies, but a truly well-made film that is a hybrid between a slasher flick and torture porn.


Info on IMDB: The Hills Run Red



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