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.

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.

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

Never having heard about this 2011 horror movie titled "Rites of Spring" as I happened to stumble upon it by random chance here in 2024. Of course I opted to sit down and watch it, given my 40-some years love and admiration of the horror genre.

I had no idea what I was in for, but that hardly mattered, as it was a horror movie. And that was, actually, more than sufficient to make me opt to sit down and spend 82 minutes on watching the movie. So of course I had zero expectations to writer and director Padraig Reynolds, whom effectively had every single available chance to entertain and impress me with this movie.

The movie was off to a good start, because you don't get more than 15 minutes into the narrative before things already start to happen. I must admit that I enjoy movies that throws the audience right into the action or mayhem, which definitely was the case of "Rites of Spring".

However, I have to say that the narrative stagnates and sort of settles into a slump about halfway through. And the story sort of flattens out, offering no ups or downs along the way. Sure, "Rites of Spring" is a watchable movie, and if you're a newcomer to the horror genre then it will be a thrilling movie to watch. But for a life-long horror fan, then it just ended up being a bland movie.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, though the name AJ Bowen does sound familiar, I just can't mention any movie in which I've seen him act. The acting performances in the movie were fair, which definitely helped to bring the movie to life on the screen in a more enjoyable manner.

Visually okay, but you're not in for anything grand here. Sure, it wasn't a movie that was particularly needing a grandiose array of special effects, but it would have been nice with a bit more effects to spruce things up, as it was somewhat needed. And as for the killer (or creature), whatever you opt to call him, well, I can't claim that I was particularly impressed. But again, it might be sufficient and suitable to a newcomer to the horror genre.

"Rites of Spring" might be worth checking out if you enjoy horror movies and haven't been jaded by years of exposure to the horror genre. Otherwise it just makes for a somewhat bland viewing experience.

My rating of writer and director Padraig Reynolds's 2011 movie "Rites of Spring" lands on a four out of ten stars.

Not terrible, actually the 35-40 minutes are pretty interesting and fairly creepy during the horror portions and tense during the crime portions. I have to take serious mark down for having a weak ending (that I think was really meant to imitate Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and some logic issues about how the scenes with the kidnapper in the barn plays out. (Everyone is that close to him, he's assaulting a friend, but no one tries to kick/shove him off? Then he goes down and a dude twice his size doesn't take the opportunity to beat his ass? C'mon now.) That said, it's as fairly solid effort with good atmosphere and is well shot. Worth a view on Netflix or whatnot.