Leofwine_draca 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.

TdSmth5 Someone kidnaps two girls leaving a bar and hangs them from the wrists in a barn.Two guys and a girl plan some type of crime. One guy is the mastermind and he seems pretty nasty. The other guy is reluctant and seems nice. The girl is the nice guy's girlfriend but she seems to be up to something. Part of the plan is the nice guy's brother. Then they carry out their crime. The two guys enter a mansion, kidnap a little girl, kill the mother and tell the father to come up with money for the life of the girl. They also take the babysitter who saw the nasty guy's face in a scuffle.Back to the barn where the crazy guy washes a girl, asks her if she's pure, puts a cow paper mache head on her and drags her away. The other girl frees herself, finds her friend, but when she removes the mask finds no head. There is also some creature in the barns cellar that escapes. The crazy guy gives this creature offerings of blood. When the creature goes after the girl she starts running.Meanwhile the criminals meet at some abandoned school building. But there's a surprise. The rich guy is no dummy and surprised the brother with a weapon and now he too arrives at the meeting place. But there's yet another surprise. Plus at this point when people start shooting at each other, the escaped barn girl with the creature in tow ends up...at the school building as well. So the shootout between the robbers and the rich guy gets interrupted by the creature that's killing everyone with some sort of knife.Rites of Spring is interesting in that it offers these two seemingly unconnected stories. Both of them are interesting in their own right. And it manages to connect them fairly well. The story of the crazy farmer is intriguing. It's not entirely clear what he's offering the girls to. We don't get to learn much about the creature either. Overall, a strong and different horror movie that also has a neat ending.

Neil Welch Some teens beset by a mad slasher encounter kidnapping crooks, and all have trouble staying alive.This movie comprises Cabin In The Woods syndrome crossed with a routine kidnapping plot, and does neither very well. While it is relatively professional technically, it is woefully inept artistically. Here are the main flaws: 1. Nothing is explained: 2. None of the victims is even slightly sympathetic; 3. Far too much tearful snivelling, screaming etc.; 4. The usual idiotic behaviour (having downed the assailant, let's just run away, leaving him to get up and pursue us); 5. A non-ending - the film just stops in the middle of a victim running away.This is one to be avoided.

eirecat *SPOILERS FOLLOW!* *THIS MOVIE SUCKS!* *THAT'S THE SPOILER!* A lot of the reviews I've read here have made a big deal about the fact that this movie is about two seemingly utterly different plot lines that converge and WACKINESS ENSUES!...or I guess it's supposed to be terror ensuing. Not sure. Not sure the filmmakers knew either. I don't know where these reviewers are coming from, but seriously...two seemingly disparaging plot lines coming together in unexpected ways is old hat in the real world that I live in and it's nothing worth popping a monocle out over.Real talk. If you don't immediately see the connection between the two WILDLY DIFFERENT plots five minutes into this movie...you are officially not the brightest crayon in the box. Honestly, you don't even make burnt umber. Sorry.This is a dumb movie that doesn't know where it wants to go. The few bright points it has, that being the occasional brilliant and believable performance of AJ Bowen, are either killed off with no explanation or killed off in a very tired manner. Also with no explanation. And that's honestly its worst sin. There's no given reason for anything. No given reason why the monster exists,no given reason why one man is trying to stop it from awakening, no given reason why stopping it from awakening requires him to do the disgusting things we see him do. This movie could be tag-lined "Crying and Moaning 'Why Are You Doing This??'" and no answer will apparently ever be given. Horror fans aren't idiots and honestly, when you prove that you can do better, we deserve to actually see it. I give it eight gorilla anuses out of ten. And I'm being generous.