A group of kidnappers 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.
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Starring: Anessa Ramsey, Katherine Randolph, AJ Bowen
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Directed by: Padraig Reynolds
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Runtime: 1 hour 21 minutes
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.
It takes at least 15-20 minutes before anything interesting to happens.
Rites of Spring is a strange film, almost two different movies playing at once that then come together at the end.
In one plot two girls are kidnapped in the parking lot of a bar by unknown assailants. They are taken to a barn in the middle of nowhere and strung up, tortured, and drained of blood for a sacrifice to a local deity that comes out in the spring. One escapes, crosses paths with a group of kidnappers right in the middle of a ransom plot gone wrong.
The other plot is about the group of kidnappers who abduct the daughter of a wealthy socialite and hide out in an abandoned school in the middle of the woods. The evening doesn't go as planned and their poorly chosen hideout becomes a hunting ground for a mysterious creature that requires springtime ritualistic sacrifices.
A “B” Slasher film yet looks way better than expected.
kidnapping & torture, kidnapping & revenge, a monster, blood, and a little nudity.
Good suspense and overall a great film. Also there's a scene after the credits.
If you are a horror fan and looking for a slasher/monster hybrid, Rites of Spring is well worth a watch.
4.5 out of 5 stars
