Rites of Spring

Rites of Spring

I'm not sure what the worst thing is about this low budget horror yarn, the script or the directing. The script, I think, although the direction is pretty poor and uninteresting. The problem with RITES OF SPRING is that it's all so predictable, and it has less going on than even the likes of a WRONG TURN sequel. The story tells of a kidnapping gone wrong, as a group of kidnappers attempt to take a rich man's daughter in return for a big ransom. A second storyline sees a couple of young women kidnapped by a creepy old farmer, where they are to become lunch for something terrible living in the basement. Eventually the two plot strands combine in the most predictable way imaginable. There's very little going on here and nothing we haven't seen before. The shocks and twists are very well telegraphed and of the type we've seen countless times. The characters are thinly drawn and the performances completely forgettable. All this has going for it is some half-decent make-up and some okay gore effects, but that's hardly a reason to keep you going; this is barely watchable.

Now in my headlining title I said "Not bad for a B-movie" But I really don't know what a B-movie is anymore with all the garbage that is in the theatres these days, they is far more worse being released than this film. I think this movie has merit as far as this type of genre goes. The acting is very well done, yes the film is clichéd to death and has a reminiscence of From Dusk Till Dawn, in a small way. But what I mean by this statement is that we have the classic storyline of a guy loosing his job and decides to take the big bosses child for ransom, and this whole ordeal is botched by the people involved it doesn't go so well in the end. Well at the end of the film you will understand what I mean by me saying expected and unexpected avenues.... Then we also have the storyline of some hick living out in the middle of nowhere which leads us to both story lines converging into one another. Not bad cinematography at all for the money they had for this small production, the acting was above par with a little bit of twists and turns. I enjoyed watching this film it wasn't that bad as far as these types of films go. I definitely think it is worth a watch and deserves a look, compared to all the remakes and reboots in the theatres's these days it's a good little flick

The first third of the movie is simply stellar, and well executed (the opening title, with the 16 Horsepower song gave me goosebumps, and I can't stop thinking of it). The photography with its smart out-of-focus effects, and the acting are top-notched. But when the 2 genres collides, everything is messed up and ridiculous. Simply put, the slasher part is a total train wreck, messy, and approximative and just plain ridiculous. Most of time, slasher movie have boring and uninteresting exposition. This is completely the opposite. This is the first time I found the exposition engaging and entertaining. Overall, I think this is a nice effort. And there's definitely very good moments in it. AJ Bowen as a good guy is really convincing , and I can't wait to see more of this actor.

Padraig Reynolds's "Rites Of Spring" is one big one hell of a story. Well actually the film is two stories that build as steady dramatic storms before converging into one monstrous maelstrom of a nightmare. The film stars AJ Bowen (House Of The Devil, A Horrible Way To Die), Anessa Ramsey (Footloose, The Signal), Sonny Marilnelli (ER, The Fallen Faithful), Katherine Randolph (Jarhead), and Marco St. John (Treme, Monster) and follows a group of kidnappers looking for a ransom that inadvertently lead themselves into the path of a psychotic some-what supernatural killer unleashed by a farmer's ritual human sacrifice. Yeah I know, that is an epic set up right!. Not only that but of coarse as always a couple of the kidnappers have other plans for the money situation as the story unfolds. But I don't want to give out a definite spoiler moment of the film. For me "Rites Of Spring" almost fails by bringing the two stories slowly together. At times you think "what the f**k- quit changing' up the story". It is a knee-jerk reaction when watching a film that bounces between story lines alternating scenes from the beginning. This almost makes the interest and build of the film seem pointless and boring. Don't give into any impulse you may have to step away from this film though. It would be a mistake because this film soon lives up to the title and the horror implied within. Just as in life there is no slow set up to a situation you may face or walk into, so to is how this film begins. The story starts as if we were always watching these characters lives with the plot already in motion. It doesn't stop in the steady intense build from the beginning until the final moments with the scene freezes and the credits role. The movie takes place in a small town with little going on. However in this town there just happens to be a family that gives human sacrifice for prosperity of crops in the coming year. A ritual blood offering to a crazed psychotic slasher that may or may not be supernatural. There is no real detail to the origin of the monster in this film. When the lives crash into one another the darkness intensifies and you almost hold your breath in anticipation of what will happen next. There are some pretty intense moments that give fright as they characters are cut down gruesomely one by one. When the action and horror unfolds it is sudden and none stop right up until the last scene. Then the film ends just as quick as it began with no real finish or conclusion. The story or stories as I should say at first seem scattered and confusing but before it can bother you much the plot unfolding on screen seems to hold you long enough for the nightmare to begin. I really enjoyed this film and can't wait for another ritual sacrifice to bring on a new spring. In other words I hope there is a sequel to this movie.

This film reminded me of "From Dusk Til Dawn" in that it had two different stories - one a crime drama and the other a supernatural horror. However, it failed to reach an interesting level in either category. Simply put, it was weakly executed. Either story would have been OK on its own as a TV movie, and a decent film if pulled off correctly - but, alas, they both left much to be desired. The crime drama had a weak plot, not too believable or well thought out, and the horror was not horrifying nor was it gory. Nothing about this movie will keep you up at night, unless you're a film producer wondering how these people were approved and given a budget of more than $5. The monster is laughable, and the ending was rushed and truly half-cheek.

I wasn't sure what to make of Rites of Spring before I saw it. i think i might have seen an obscure trailer for it at some point, I don't remember hearing a lot of buzz about it, only seeing some very cool artwork for the film. Well I'm pleased to say I was pleasantly surprised. What starts of as a run of mill chiller quickly turns into a sort of creature feature of sorts. As the film opens two young women are taken captive and awake to being prepared by an old man talking about something getting fed. As we move along another group of characters are introduced who kidnap the young daughter of a rich gentleman and his wife. Things go very bad when the crime goes awry and ends up in casualties and they cross paths with one of the women who has escaped their captive. The movie works best as an overlong chase scene for the most part. But it's cinematically engaging in that it builds a nice old fashioned 70's tension not seen in the genre it quite some time. Technically it's a polished film competently made. The lead performance from Anessa Ramsey leaves much to be desired. But a now genre standout AJ Bowen makes another solid mark on his horror resume and he's cute too. As for the main villain of sorts the creature design is mostly uninspired but it moves quickly and doesn't leave you a lot of time considering it. The only downfall of the film is although a nail biting, edge of you seat ride it doesn't build to any sort of explanation or complex storyline. Still for what it is Rites of Spring is a solid, well made slasher film with a nice clean cut finale I very much appreciated.

This incredibly low budget horror movie has no clue what it wants to be. It is a home invasion movie, then a kidnap movie, then a serial killer movie, then a killer hillbilly movie, and the worst part is that it does all of these equally bad. The acting is terrible across the board, the story is laughable, the direction is all over the place, like it was filmed by a 10 year old that was using all the new features on his camera phone, which it was probably shot on. I understand that this was a bad movie and it knows it, but that does not change the fact the it is awful on every level, well, except maybe for the poster, which was interesting enough to catch my eye and got me to watch this waste of time movie. 1.5 Beards Out Of 5

Directed by Padraig Reynolds on his feature film debut, Rites of Spring stars AJ Bowen, Anessa Ramsey, Sonny Marinelli, Katherine Randolf, Marco St. John, Hannah Bryan, Sarah Pachelli, James Bartz, Shanna Forestall, Skylar Burke, and Andrew Breland. The film opens in a similar vein to movies such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, with some title cards informing us that back in 1984, several teenagers vanished without a trace. No bodies were ever found. However, no sooner had these unexplained disappearances begun, than they stopped. Until the following year, when the cycle started again. This pattern of disappearances has continued for 24 years. Rites of Spring is a strange film, almost two different movies playing at once that then collide together towards the end. I actually liked this approach, at least they tried something different with it. One plot is about a group of kidnappers who abduct the daughter of a wealthy socialite and hide out in an abandoned school in the middle of the woods. But feelings of guilt soon overtake the kidnappers, dividing the group and putting their entire plan in jeopardy. The evening further spirals out of control when their poorly chosen hideout becomes a hunting ground for a mysterious creature that requires springtime ritualistic sacrifices. The creature is led to the hideout courtesy of the films second running plot. This involves a farmer who has abducted two girls & is keeping them tied up inside his barn, whereupon he tortures them and drains them of some blood. The blood is taken and thrown into a hidden basement/lair for the films creature which at this point we only catch the briefest glimpse of. Eventually one of the girls escapes and manages to reach the school and coincidentally bumps into the hostage situation. The action then gets ramped up as the creature has followed her and now has more victims to pray on. Rites of Spring is very reminiscent of Jeepers Creepers, from the creature down to a chase through some cornfields. Even some sacrificial people on crosses. Then I read that the director was helped out by Victor Salva who directed the Jeepers Creepers films and this influence and help clearly shows. Not in a bad rip-off way either, this film really stands on its on two feet and tries to carve its own niche in the genre. It is a low-budget film, and yet looks way better than I expected it would. The director really did a fine job and delivers a crisp, fun and clever film. Mixing together two genres was a risk but it paid off well here. Acting wise, AJ Bowen as the kidnapper just trying to get some money without hurting anyone and Anessa Ramsey, the girl who escapes the farmers clutches, are the standout performers. The others are a mixed bag, a couple were average at best but overall definitely better acting standards than in most low-budget horror. The creature (or Wormface as he is referred to in the credits) comes across as a mixture of genre bad guys, he certainly looks creepy enough and armed with some tools for slashing and cutting his victims he is a welcome addition to the genre. The director is hoping to make a trilogy based on this creature, so hopefully we will get more back story in the future. There were a few unanswered questions and a scene after the credits so again I look forward to seeing a continuation in this story. Whilst there is some blood and violence, a beheading, limbs chopped off and a few people hacked up, there is nothing to be to squeamish about. Rites of Spring seemed to be going for a stronger story rather than just be gory for the sake of it, and the end result is a decent, suspense filled horror film that I hope people check out when it's released later in the year. For more of my reviews, please check out my blog: http://headinavice.wordpress.com/

A ransom scheme turns into a nightmare for a group of kidnappers who become victims of a horrifying secret that must be paid every spring. Horror fans will instantly recognize AJ Bowen, the current independent horror go-to actor. Beyond that, many faces appear on screen that we may never see again. There is particularly terrible acting from the father character, which might take some viewers out of the movie. This might appeal to some people, but it never seems to quite capture what it was going for. While it starts as a kidnapping film, it turns into something like a poor man's "Jeepers Creepers". And even then, there is an undercurrent that is not far removed from "It". At no point does anything seem quite original enough to merit respect.