A group of kidnappers abduct the daughter of a wealthy socialite and hide out in an abandoned school on the edge of town. But feelings of guilt soon overtake the kidnappers, dividing the group and putting their entire plan in jeopardy. The evening further spirals out of control when their poorly chosen hideout becomes a hunting ground for a mysterious creature that requires springtime ritualistic sacrifices.
Writer/director Padraig Reynolds‘ mixed genre kidnapping slasher/creature feature Rites of Spring plays kind of like a modern day From Dusk Till Dawn in that it totally switches gears midway through (not a spoiler, the film tips its hat to this early on). But it’s much more serious, and there are some downright harrowing moments in this kidnapping heist turned creature feature starring A.J. Bowen (A Horrible Way To Die, Hatchet 2, You’re Next) and Anessa Ramsey (The Signal, The Devil’s Knot).
I recently hopped on the phone with Reynolds to talk the brutal moments early in the film as well as what it was like for him as a director to switch genres mid-movie. We also talk a bit about Rites Of Spring 2 and how that planned sequel will build on the mythology seeded in the current installment.
In the film, “A group of kidnappers abduct the daughter of a wealthy socialite and hide out in an abandoned school on the edge of town. But feelings of guilt soon overtake the kidnappers, dividing the group and putting their entire plan in jeopardy. The evening further spirals out of control when their poorly chosen hideout becomes a hunting ground for a mysterious creature that requires springtime ritualistic sacrifices.” The creature, “Wormface”, was designed by Aaron Sims (A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child, Wrong Turn, The Mist, I Am Legend, Clash of the Titans, The Thing).
IFC Midnight releases Rites Of Spring July 27 on VOD and in limited theaters. Head inside for the interview! READ MORE
This Friday, July 27, IFC Midnight kicks off a VOD and limited theatrical run for Padraig Reynolds’ kidnapping slasher Rites of Spring, which stars genre faves AJ Bowen (The Signal, House of the Devil, A Horrible Way to Die, Hatchet 2) and Anessa Ramsey (YellowBrickRoad, The Signal). It also features creature design by Aaron Sims (A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child, Wrong Turn, The Mist, I Am Legend, Clash of the Titans, The Thing).
Inside we’ve landed an exclusive clip where “Wormface” makes an appearance, while we’ve also scored a pair of tickets to this Friday’s screening at the IFC Center (323 6th Avenue New York, NY 10014). The event takes place Friday July 27, 2012 @ 11:59pm (EST) followed by Q&A with filmmaker Padraig Reynolds. If you’d like to attend all you have to do is put RITES OF SPRING in the subject line and E-mail us your name. Winner will be chosen today.
In the film, “A group of kidnappers abduct the daughter of a wealthy socialite and hide out in an abandoned school on the edge of town. But feelings of guilt soon overtake the kidnappers, dividing the group and putting their entire plan in jeopardy. The evening further spirals out of control when their poorly chosen hideout becomes a hunting ground for a mysterious creature that requires springtime ritualistic sacrifices.” READ MORE
Writer/director Padraig Reynolds’ mixed genre kidnapping slasher/creature feature Rites of Spring plays kind of like a modern day From Dusk Till Dawn in that it totally switches gears midway through (not a spoiler, the film tips its hat to this early on). Of course, there aren’t any vampires and the film is much more serious than that early Tarantiono/Rodriguez collaboration. An early kidnapping segment really struck me with its unflinching brutality, as did some of the film’s more “sacrificial” moments. Star Anessa Ramsey (The Signal, YellowBrickRoad) is tied up and forced to hear (and later see the outcome of) that unnerving moment, which you’d think would be as bad as it gets for her character… until it gets much worse.
I recently hopped on the phone with Ramsey to talk about defining her character amongst the chaos of the film as well as what it was like to be forced to hang in a sacrificial barn for what seems like an awfully long period of time. Also? She gets to run through a corn field while being chased by a monster – always an iconic horror moment.
In the film, “A group of kidnappers abduct the daughter of a wealthy socialite and hide out in an abandoned school on the edge of town. But feelings of guilt soon overtake the kidnappers, dividing the group and putting their entire plan in jeopardy. The evening further spirals out of control when their poorly chosen hideout becomes a hunting ground for a mysterious creature that requires springtime ritualistic sacrifices.” The creature, “Wormface”, was designed by Aaron Sims (A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child, Wrong Turn, The Mist, I Am Legend, Clash of the Titans, The Thing).
IFC Midnight releases Rites Of Spring July 27 on VOD and in limited theaters. Head inside for the interview! READ MORE
While some concept art of “Wormface” can be found here, we’ve landed a trio of looks at the killer from IFC Midnight’s July 27 VOD and limited theatrical run of Rites of Spring, Padraig Reynolds’ kidnapping slasher that stars genre faves AJ Bowen (The Signal, House of the Devil, A Horrible Way to Die, Hatchet 2) and Anessa Ramsey (YellowBrickRoad, The Signal). The creature was designed by Aaron Sims (A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child, Wrong Turn, The Mist, I Am Legend, Clash of the Titans, The Thing).
In the film, “A group of kidnappers abduct the daughter of a wealthy socialite and hide out in an abandoned school on the edge of town. But feelings of guilt soon overtake the kidnappers, dividing the group and putting their entire plan in jeopardy. The evening further spirals out of control when their poorly chosen hideout becomes a hunting ground for a mysterious creature that requires springtime ritualistic sacrifices.”
The other day IFC Midnight announced a July 27 VOD and limited theatrical run for Padraig Reynolds’ kidnapping slasher Rites of Spring, which stars genre faves AJ Bowen (The Signal, House of the Devil, A Horrible Way to Die, Hatchet 2) and Anessa Ramsey (YellowBrickRoad, The Signal). It also features creature design by Aaron Sims (A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child, Wrong Turn, The Mist, I Am Legend, Clash of the Titans, The Thing). We’ve landed a few more bloody looks at both Ramsey and horror fav Bowen.
In the film, “A group of kidnappers abduct the daughter of a wealthy socialite and hide out in an abandoned school on the edge of town. But feelings of guilt soon overtake the kidnappers, dividing the group and putting their entire plan in jeopardy. The evening further spirals out of control when their poorly chosen hideout becomes a hunting ground for a mysterious creature that requires springtime ritualistic sacrifices.” READ MORE
The other day IFC Midnight announced a July 27 VOD and limited theatrical run for Padraig Reynolds’ kidnapping slasher Rites of Spring, which stars genre faves AJ Bowen (The Signal, House of the Devil, A Horrible Way to Die, Hatchet 2) and Anessa Ramsey (YellowBrickRoad, The Signal). It also features creature design by Aaron Sims (A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child, Wrong Turn, The Mist, I Am Legend, Clash of the Titans, The Thing). We’ve landed two exclusive bloody looks as Ramsey, who appears to be on the run from something.
In the film, “A group of kidnappers abduct the daughter of a wealthy socialite and hide out in an abandoned school on the edge of town. But feelings of guilt soon overtake the kidnappers, dividing the group and putting their entire plan in jeopardy. The evening further spirals out of control when their poorly chosen hideout becomes a hunting ground for a mysterious creature that requires springtime ritualistic sacrifices.” READ MORE
IFC Midnight has announced a July 27 VOD and limited theatrical run for Padraig Reynolds’ kidnapping thriller Rites of Spring, which stars genre faves AJ Bowen (The Signal, House of the Devil, A Horrible Way to Die, Hatchet 2) and Anessa Ramsey (YellowBrickRoad, The Signal). It also features creature design by Aaron Sims (A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child, Wrong Turn, The Mist, I Am Legend, Clash of the Titans, The Thing).
In the film, “A group of kidnappers abduct the daughter of a wealthy socialite and hide out in an abandoned school on the edge of town. But feelings of guilt soon overtake the kidnappers, dividing the group and putting their entire plan in jeopardy. The evening further spirals out of control when their poorly chosen hideout becomes a hunting ground for a mysterious creature that requires springtime ritualistic sacrifices.” READ MORE
An expedition looks for answers to something horrible in the forest, but the forest finds something horrible in them.
One Morning in New England, 1940, the entire population of Friar New Hampshire – 572 people – walked together up a winding mountain trail and into the wilderness. They left behind their clothes, their money, all of their essentials. Even their dogs were abandoned, tied to posts and left to starve. No One knows why. A search party dispatched by the U.S. Army eventually discovered the remains of nearly 300 of Friar’s evacuees. Many had frozen to death. Others were cruelly and mysteriously slaughtered. The bodies of the remaining citizens are still unaccounted for. Over the years, a quiet cover-up operation managed to weave the story of Friar into the stuff of legends and backwoods fairy tales. The town has slowly repopulated, but the vast wilderness is mostly untracked, with the northern-most stretches off limits to local hunters and loggers. In 2008, the coordinates for the “YELLOWBRICKROAD” trail head were declassified. The first official expedition into a dark and twisted wilderness will attempt to solve the mystery of the lost citizens of Friar…and reach the end of the trail.
It’s New Year’s Eve in the city of Terminus and chaos is this year’s resolution. All forms of communication have been jammed by an enigmatic signal that preys on the fears and desires of everyone in the city. Told in three parts from three unique perspectives by three visionary directors, The Signal is a horrific journey towards discovering that the most brutal monster might actually be within all of us.
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