[Interview] Anessa Ramsey On Subverting Genre In ‘Rites Of Spring’
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
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