RyothChatty ridiculous rating

ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Karlee The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

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.

dmeister72 "Rites of Spring" is a competent low-budget horror movie with a fairly interesting storyline that follows two seemingly unrelated situations as the paths of the two protagonists ultimately prove to converge and as the circumstances surrounding their connection to each other become clear. The result is part film noir, part slasher fare. But, for me at least, the plot kept me intrigued for the length of the movie.While not necessarily ambitious, the special makeup effects were at least effective. Direction, cinematography, sound, and other "film stuffs" were all solid, at least to this casual viewer. Nothing stood as amateurish, which is obviously a potential concern for low-budget films.The weakest aspect of this film, in my opinion, was its rather abrupt and somewhat anticlimactic ending. I was left with the feeling that the filmmakers had simply exhausted their budget, and were forced to wrap things up as quickly as possible.The entire cast delivered believable performances, especially for such an obviously low-budget film. Anessa Ramsey, in particular, really stood out. I love low-budget, low-key horror films that are well done, because they feel more "personal" to me. So, for me at least, "Rites of Passage" was money well spent.I've heard others suggest that too many elements of this film were borrowed from earlier films. Of course, the "earlier" films referred to by these individuals had, in turn, already borrowed much from even earlier films, so I'm not sure if there is really any point to arguing the absence of originality. At least it's not another remake!

ASouthernHorrorFan 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.

rivertam26 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.