The Hills Run Red 2009

A good little movie that lost it's way

5 out of 10 Stars

If I would have watched just the first 50 or 60 minutes of this film I think it would be rated in the 8,9 star range. They had me hook,line, and sinker. Then something more terrible then the creepy monster Babyface happened. They forgot WTH they were doing. The filmmakers were doing everything right and then it seems they said "well then, lets wrap this up fast I got a thing to get to"

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

The Hills Run Red is a solid example of the trouble with slasher films today. We have decent special effects, solid production values, and some nudity, but it's ultimately squandered on a slasher/torture plot that loses it's novelty two thirds of the way in. We've seen this all before (particularly the "film within a film" plot). 

The movie begins promisingly, with a craftily edited (and BRUTAL) prologue in which someone cuts off their face and replaces it with the face of a babydoll. We then shift gears into the main story, involving a young filmmakers search for a lost film that purportedly is the most violent film ever made. Showing only once before being banned/hidden from the public. This would've been the basis for a brilliant exploration into society's fascination with violence. Instead, you can pretty much check off a list of concepts/conventions that you find on Netflix or Amazon Prime: Snuff movies? check. Torture? check. Hillbillies? double check. Attractive young people in peril? check again. And so on.

Still, to be perfectly honest, if you're looking for a mindless gore flick to pass the time, it delivers the goods. It's nicely paced and graphic, and the always entertaining William Sadler gets to chew up the scenery in a few scenes. It's an acceptable outing, but you come away feeling disappointed that so little thought goes into these types of movies nowadays