𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐑𝐮𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝟐

The Hills Run Red 2 (2024) is a blood-soaked return to one of the most underrated slasher cult classics of the 2000s. Picking up 15 years after the events of the original 2009 film, the sequel dives deeper into the mythology of “Babyface” and the cursed legacy of the film-within-a-film that left a trail of real corpses in its wake.

Directed by newcomer but horror-obsessed filmmaker Chloe Rains, The Hills Run Red 2 embraces its grindhouse roots while evolving into something smarter, slicker, and nastier. This time, the story follows Quinn Adler (Emma Horvath), a horror podcaster and niece of one of the original film’s missing crew members. When she uncovers lost footage from the infamous The Hills Run Red—and a series of recent murders mimicking its scenes—Quinn becomes obsessed with exposing the truth behind the legend.

Her investigation leads her deep into a forgotten part of the Appalachian wilderness, where a fanatical cult of underground filmmakers has revived the twisted spirit of the original film—recreating its violence, but with real victims. At the center of it all is a new iteration of Babyface, even more brutal and disfigured than before, suggesting that the mask is no longer just a prop, but a curse that passes from one killer to the next.

The film plays with meta-horror in clever ways. It critiques horror fandom, obsession with true crime, and the blurred lines between exploitation and art. It’s not afraid to turn the camera on its own audience, asking: Why do we watch horror? And at what point does watching become complicity?

Visually, The Hills Run Red 2 leans into grim, gritty aesthetics—rusted chains, decaying film reels, and makeshift torture sets hidden in old cabins. Practical effects dominate, with gore that’s disturbingly realistic without slipping into parody. The kills are creatively staged and unnervingly intimate, often feeling like grotesque homages to real-life horror tropes.

Horvath leads the cast with conviction, bringing both vulnerability and resilience to a role that could’ve easily fallen into cliché. Supporting turns by genre veterans—including a chilling cameo from William Sadler as a reclusive former crew member—add texture and tension.

Though not for the faint of heart, The Hills Run Red 2 is a worthy successor that expands its lore, sharpens its blade, and proves that horror stories—especially the ones buried or forgotten—have a nasty way of coming back.