Colinas de Sangue

...The Hills Run Red does for torture porn flicks. This horror subgenre has been going downhill for a while now, rapidly losing any kind of semblance of a subtext or deeper meaning and only giving its viewers what a lot of them no doubt crave: meaningless and increasingly graphic gore. That the genre got to the point of self-reflexivity may be a good sign - perhaps the dumb torture porn wave is ready to disappear from the mainstream (though the fact that this film is straight-to-DVD might not get it the recognition it deserves). This is not Haneke territory, though - nor it should be -, nevertheless The Hills Run Red provides a nice sarcastic commentary on the shock- and blood-craze of recent mainstream horror cinema. Its philosophy, albeit none too deep, provides a refreshing change of course from similar films. (And dare I say makes its point just as powerfully as the so-called "auteurs" do with their not much subtler films about violence, who get a nice stab in the movie - not literally, though.) Directing is skillful for the most part, however, the level of acting gradually becomes way over the top and hysterical, which is a shame. I wonder when horror directors learn that this kind of bad stage acting style just kills the atmosphere. Crazy psychos can be much more threatening when they are subdued and quiet. All in all, Hills Run Red is a surprisingly solid horror film with more brain than most flicks in its genre. It is taut and its brevity is welcome as well. My only problem is that the plot twist in the second act is totally spoiled by the preview material. It's a huge shame, because it works tremendously in the film but of course only if one goes in unsuspecting.

In an age where most horror films are either sequels or remakes; one should rejoice when original slashers worth a damn pop up.

"The Hills Run Red" has a knockout hook that sets up quite a decent story. A mysterious "lost" slasher film, called "The Hills Run Red", has many horror fans obsessed with finding it. Such is the case with Tyler, a horror buff, who sets out with his friend and girlfriend to visit the film's locations in order to make a documentary. Along for the ride is the film's notorious director's daughter, Alexa, and once on location the group gets to enliven some true horror.

Good story, solid acting and some decent grue ensure "The Hills Run Red" has some definite highlights and the first half works very well. Present are the irritating "fast-cuts" that have invaded all horror films, it seems, but a decent atmosphere is built and the old "woods-scenario" in slashers never fails when well executed.

A fair amount of jokes and "rulebreakers" enter the film and work surprisingly well (the cell phone bit and the gun (guns are never present in slasher films)) and avoid going over the top. But despite the short running time the film loses steam and goes for one ending too many; both of which aren't too good (don't turn off after the first end credits appear).

"The Hills Run Red" is a solid slasher film for fans of the genre. Most can appreciate the fact that many things are well done here, the film remains faithful to the genre while poking fun at some obvious faults inherent with it and it's quite the gory feast as well. The only ones yawning are not slasher fans to begin with, I think.

The Hills Run Red (2009) After reading several reviews for The Hills Run Red offering high praise, I suppose my hype meter kicked in. I was told that it was gritty, grimy, and uber-violent. Sounds good right?

The story follows Tyler(Tad Hilgenbrink: Amusement) as he develops an obsession with an 80's slasher film called The Hills Run Red. Legend has it, that it was immediately pulled from theaters after it was shown, due to a strong reaction to the violence shown on screen. Since then, all people involved in production have mysteriously disappeared. After some internet browsing, Tyler manages to get a line on the director's daughter, whom is showing off her beautiful natural breasts at a strip club. The plan is, find the daughter, get her to help him find the movie.

The Hills Run Red is one of those films that I realize is a cut above most straight to DVD horror films, and I DID enjoy the film. I guess I just felt a little disappointed. I was expecting a little more exploitation, and a lot less CGI. The kills are inventive, but is almost killed by the CGI work. This is the type of film that you NEED practical effects for.

Acting is good across the board, most notable is Sophie Monk, who plays Alexa. Sophie is a stunning natural beauty. Nothing like seeing some meat on the bones instead of the current skeletal Hollywood trend. The pacing is excellent, the cinematography is top notch.

As I said, it's a great film, and I highly recommend it, I guess I was just expecting something different. I'm going to have to knock it down a point though for the shoddy CGI work. Get a clue up and coming film makers, there is no substitute for well done practical effects. CGI will NEVER replace the rubber suit, and fake blood.

3/5 -napalmfuzz

http://liberaldead.blogspot.com

I could not stop watching this movie and really I never wanted it to end. From the opening titles beautifully underscored by a very creepy sounding version of "Hush little baby" this film dragged me in with is beautiful style and how creepy it was (I'm not gonna give away the first scare but it's incredibly well done and while at first seems random and pointless they do explain why it's there towards the end.

The story uses one of the new standards of horror cinema, the idea of a movie that was made in the 80's but had to stop production due to murders on set. While this isn't a new concept, Cut did it 9 years ago, both the Short film and the feature length with the same title played on the idea of horror films becoming reality, it is a refreshing spin on the tale.

The cast consists of your stock set of horror film characters, from the junkie to the slutty girl but really if you come to a horror movie for characters then you really don't belong here. This film is about the scares, and they come rapid fire.

Sophie Monk in particular delivers a performance that I never thought I'd see her deliver after I saw Date Movie. She makes you love her from the moment she pop's on screen and you root for her the whole way through. She proves how smart she can be with choosing a role with her performance in here and really I reckon if she chooses more roles like this she'll prove she's an actress and not just a great body.

For you gore-hounds, there's blood and gore galore from pretty much start to finish. One of the things that this film does better than a lot of others like it is make the gore scary. Some times you can tell that gore is there just cos they can but that doesn't happen here. Every piece of blood is needed to make the story work like it does and add's to the effectiveness of the movie.

If you can get a copy of this movie do it, don't sit around and wait for a friend to loan it to you go and get it now. One of the few films I really wanna see a sequel for.

Tyler (Tad Hilgenbrink), a film student, hopes to track down a legendary film, the titular "Hills Run Red", which was lost and is rumored to be the most violent horror film ever. He finds Alexa (pop star Sophie Monk), the director's daughter, and they go on a hunt to the very heart of cinematic evil.

Director Dave Parker (best known for Full Moon's "The Dead Hate the Living!") has done it, making the film of his career. I don't mean to discourage Parker from making more films, but I find it hard to believe he could match this level of intensity again. The action, the violence, the gore... as far as slashers go, this was the pinnacle. There were a few good ones in the past few years ("Hatchet" was alright, "Behind the Mask" was very good, "Hack" was amazing). This may be the best yet.

For horror fans in my generation, the last great decade for horror was the 1980s. Anything since then has been largely rubbish. In "Hills Run Red", we have people who know this, that emulating the 80s is the best way to make a successful and enjoyable picture. The added story of tracking down an obscure film from the 80s is even better.

You may think the slasher film is dead, especially if your name is Adam Rockoff. But the "Friday the 13th" remake tried to prove otherwise, and this film sealed the deal. The days of "torture porn" are coming to an end, though "Hills" does give a nod to that subgenre, too. The only thing missing is the hand-held subgenre, but I can personally do without that, as I can only recall one good film of that sort (Ruggero Deodato's "Cannibal Holocaust").

I have to point out this is William Sadler's darkest role ever, and he plays it well. Quite a difference from Death in "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey". But the real honor goes to Sophie Monk (who, I can personally attest, is a sweetheart). She plays a stripper, a heroin addict, the daughter of a demented auteur. With a past in pop music, this is a big departure and she rides it like a pro. While I don't suspect Sophie will be a horror regular, she'd be welcome if she wanted to come back.

See this movie. Worth owning, but if nothing else, rent it. Great addition to any collection, this is what horror fans crave.