Director: Padraig Reynolds
Starring: AJ Bowen, Marco St. John, Sonny Marionelli, Anessa Ramsey, Katherine Randolph, Shanna Forrestall
Certificate: TBC
Running time: 80 minutes
Synopsis: A kidnap and ransom plot turns into a nightmare for a group of desperate criminals who become victims of a horrifying secret that must be paid every spring…
Debut writer-director Padraig Reynolds’ RITES OF SPRING may not surprise many with its opening, which is another retread of something we’ve many times before. It’s the familiar old supernatural/slasher yarn, with a welcome flash of elements from the kidnap/crime story, adding something extra, albeit not very special. What lifts the film is the actual coming together of the two genres. Following the introduction, we’re introduced to Rachel (Ramsey) and female friend drinking in a bar. One bears the guilt of losing her company millions in a major business deal, even though someone else has taken the blame. While contemplating owning up to her failures when she returns, the two are qucikly snatched by a stranger in the outside parking lot and awake tied up in barn in the middle of nowhere, awaiting a terrifying fate. There are obvious nods to the likes of CHILDREN OF THE CORN and even THE WICKER MAN as their elderly captor mumbles to himself about the rituals of human sacrifice and how ‘It must be done’. As already established, typical slasher mode but this ‘stranger’ has something monstrous lurking in the cellar.
We next meet Ben (Bowen), who’s in a debt-ridden predicament, and along with wife, irrepressible younger brother, and a suspicious partner in crime, plans to kidnap and hold ransom the preteen daughter of a wealthy businessman. This plot runs parallel with that of the girls tied up in the barn, events which ultimately collide, much like in Stevan Mena’s superior MALEVOLENCE, or even Robert Rodriguez’s bonkers bloodbath FROM DUSK TILL DAWN. However, RITES OF SPRING is a little different – the story switches back and forth before meeting head-on for the final act’s blood-soaked conclusion, rather than beginning in one genre and taking it into a whole different territory.
It works for the most part, and there’s enough suspense to keep horror and gore fans happy as the hills – or rather the farmlands – run red with blood, but the introduction of the supernatural, hatchet-swinging creature and its subsequent escape feels a little muddled and isn’t really essential to the plot. However, he – or rather it – brings some nice scares. The aforementioned MALEVOLENCE did something similar to this, attempting to explore much deeper, reality-grounded explanation for the horror unfolding. As much I enjoyed Mena’s shocker, the acting left a lot to be desired. Here, the performances are solid and of real quality with Bowen and Ramsey as the stand-outs. They both give enough emotional intricacy to their flawed and conflicted characters to see both sides of their plight.
The let-down however, comes from the film’s predictability. You always feel you know where all this is going, having seen the same dilemmas and situations in both genre films, usually all bad. It’s this problem that unfortunately pulls the film back from being a great addition to either genre. Still, RITES OF SPRING is no disaster and is certainly worth a look for those gore-hounds amongst us.
RITES OF SPRING is still awaiting a release date here in the UK.
