The Hills Run Red

Slasher films are a dime-a-dozen. They really are. In the end, most of them can be summed up in just a few words: "scary guy in mask chases hot girl in *insert location here*." This is a sub-genre that is not appreciated for aspects such as acting, screenwriting, directing, etc... We come to these films for a few things: beautiful people, (often without a thought in their pretty little heads), said beautiful people being slashed, bludgeoned, burned, completely destroyed, and a cool killer. As entertaining as this formula can be *please refer to the Friday the 13th series*, there is no doubt that these films are getting stale.

Now, a little while back, I reviewed Cold Prey, a terrific little film that sought to place character development and genuine suspense over flashy, gorelicious kills. And whaddya know, it worked. New life was injected into a genre long thought stuck in the mud. Which now brings us to The Hills Run Red.

Tyler (Tad Hilgenbrinck) loves horror movies. Really, REALLY loves horror movies. He'll pass up a night of lovin' with his girlfriend Serina (Janet Montgomery) to pursue genre-related activities. He irritates his friend Lalo (Alex Wyndham) with his love of the genre. Even his room is plastered with many fantastic (and unfortunately fake) posters that simply ooze with awesome 80's cheesiness. The latest object of his desire is an obscure 80's slasher-opus titled The Hills Run Red, a film that was only screened once and immediately banned, mainly due to the film's alleged instances of extreme violence and sadism. Adding to the mystery, the stars were never found, and the director apparently went into a self-imposed exile, and has not been heard from since. Now, if you've seen at least one horror movie, alarm bells should be ringing. Resigned with the knowledge that he will likely never see Hills, he attempts to satisfy himself by watching the film's crudely made trailer over, and over, and over again.

Fortunately, hope comes in the form of scantily clad women when Tyler tracks down the director's daughter, Alexa (Sophie Monk) to a strip club. Y'see, Alexa was a star in Hills, and Tyler hopes to gain some juicy behind-the-scenes info from her. What he finds, however, is a scarred young woman who likes playing with an ornate dagger AND injecting herself with heroin. Clearly, this is someone who has done well for themselves after show business. But Tyler ain't gonna have any of this, dag nubbit. He's a FAN. Acting as all dedicated fans would, he forces her to detox (a nicely edited sequence), and with her, Serina and Lalo in tow, sets out to make his own documentary on the lost slasher flick. This means going to the shooting locations. In the woods. I'll repeat it: deep in the woods. For someone as deeply in love with the genre as Tyler, one would think he would have at least some worries about going into a green No-Man's Land, but hey, he is a character in a slasher movie. Little do they know, the object of their desire never stopped shooting, and the hulking, masked killer known as "Babyface" is stalking them" and he"s all too eager to meet his new "cast members".

As you've likely gathered from the plot synopsis, this ain't out to break any new ground. And that's just it: it ain't trying to be "THE NEXT BIG THING IN HORROR". Instead, it acts as a sort of love letter to the horror genre in general. The film's humor doesn't quite reach the same level of self-reference as Scream, but there are still many winks and nudges; be it Lalo's theory on civilization and "ass-loving rednecks", to his decision to bring a handgun along, cause you just know they'll be needing one. The knowing in-jokes could very easily have become over-bearing, and truth be told, when a villain near the end talks about screen transitions, it does become a little hard not to slap your forehead and groan. Luckily, for the most part, it works well, because after all, the movie is actually about trying to find another movie, and we have a hero who is a self-professed film buff.

So many times in a slasher film, you couldn't give a rats ass about the main characters AKA meat sacks. You don't care about them as human beings, you just look at your watch, counting down towards the moment when the killer jumps out and wipes them off the face of the Earth. If these self-centered, obnoxious asses don't die, you WILL feel cheated. Its a fact. Which is all the more refreshing that we don't exactly want these people to die. Not that they're particularly deep characters, with Alexa as the tortured director's daughter by far coming off as the most interesting; but they're still likable enough that you secretly hope that they make it out alive. But then that would mean being robbed of a good kill, and that would get you antsy, you contradictory so-and-so's.

Traditionally, a slasher film lives and dies based on the strength of its kills and antagonist. So how do they rank up? The bloodshed seems surprisingly restrained, given the film's core concept. That being said, there is an intensely gory and disturbing pre-credits sequence detailing the back story of Babyface, and many of the film-within-a-film kills, though brief, will easily satisfy one's bloodlust, as well as a variety of stabbings, bludgeonings, mutilation, and an impaling. Don't worry folks; things do get wet. It would have been preferable if the murders were done with more old-school techniques, as there is some iffy CGI for at least one of the deaths, but the work is solid overall. And of the film's killer? Simply put, Babyface is easily one of the most genuinely horrifying and imposing screen presences ever to have come to the genre. Everything, from the shattered doll mask, to the baby rattle (yes, you read that correctly) make him one of the most iconic killers I've ever seen. Besides, when was the last time you were actually scared by a slasher? Surprisingly, one of his greatest moments isn't even centered around a kill, but is handled so well that it will easily send a chill down your spine.

Arguably the film's biggest weakness is the introduction of the third act twist. Even though it takes the film into much darker and warped territory, as well as offering genuinely amusing commentary on the current "torture porn" sub-genre, those who expected straight-up slasher fare will likely be disappointed. It is also here that the more painful instances of the self-referential dialogue show up. However, unlike many slasher films that feature the Final Girl and a triumphant ending, Hills slides fully into doom and despair in the final act, and ends on a genuinely unsettling coda.

This isn't a film that is going to convert newcomers into the horror genre. Rather, it is made strictly for people who have a genuine passion for such films, and also serves to remind that the genre, despite the jaw-dropping amount of crappy remakes and crappier original films, is still alive and kicking.