I have an affinity for 70's and 80's horror. Well, not so much an affinity. More like an obsession. That was a time when those types of movies were pure unadulterated mayhem with no lofty goals of trying to be smart or relevant to the times. The 70's gave us down and dirty horror flicks like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes and Last House on the Left. FIlms that were just oppressingly nihilistic. While the 80's gave us more fun, and a hell of a lot gorier, horror movies where the heroes, mostly the virgin, emerged victorious but not without the cost of a few dozen of their friends dying or the exposure of a good amount of boobage. Then the 90's came and tried to be post-modern and self-referential with their horror. Scream being the most obvious of these. They were cute at first but then very quickly became stale and too safe.
With The Hills Run Red we get a very entertaining pastiche of all of these distinctive eras of horror. It has the brutality of the 70's, the gore and boobs of the 80's and the self-awareness of the 90's. It's about three friends who venture into the woods to find the filming locations, and quite possibly a copy, of a lost horror film. A film that was so scary that it was pulled from theaters and no copies exist. It wouldn't be a horror film if things went well. The film manages to set up various horror cliches while turning them upside down. Cell phones work, characters bring guns and most of the characters act smartly. Problem for them is that the killer is smart too and not just a stupid mutant hillbilly.
The movie is short and never overstays it's welcome while managing to give reliable character actor William Sadler a good and memorable role as the lost film's director. A man dedicated to capturing true horror on film. And while it may not be the most original horror film, credit must be given to director Dave Parker for keeping this somewhat jaded horror fan quite happy for 80 mintues.
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