New Flix: Spring (2014)

At last, a sad and emotional Horror Film.  Well, sort of.  Today's Film is Spring, a 2014 Film that I got as part of the Random Film Bundle from my Brother on my Birthday.  It has all been so random.  The Film is about a young man who needs to escape from his dreary life.  He does so, but perhaps wanders across something worse in the process.  Who is the mysterious woman in Italy?  Why is she so interested in Genetics?  Who or what is leaving dead animal bodies all over Town?  This is a tricky one to talk about, because you affect a certain percentage of the Movie by presenting a key piece of information.  I'll do my best to keep this one SPOILER-Free for those of you against such things.  To find out SOME of what goes on in this Film, read on...

This man is sad.  He lost his Dad awhile ago and now he's watching his Mom die of Cancer.

Look at the bright side: you can end up being Star-Lord!

After the Funeral, he ends up getting in a fight with a guy (somewhat justified, to be fair) and things gets worse.

Seeking something new (and to avoid Assault Charges), he takes a flight to Italy, Europe.

After taking a long trip with some Brits (and promptly dropping them from the Story when they aren't needed), our Hero finds a hot girl and hits on her.  She plays hard to get, so he just keeps sort-of stalking her.

She eventually falls for him and they hook up.  She's a bit ambiguous about some things, but young love conquers all.

Meanwhile, all sorts of dead animals- from Cats to Dogs to Sheep- are found all over Town.  What is going on?

When a dead human body is found, things get even worse.  Plus, he's white, so it is big news!

I can't really say much more without SPOILERS, so I guess I'll just have to leave it there.  The End.

A different kind of Horror Film, but still a good one.  The Story unfolds at a slow, but steady pace.  That may not be for everyone- okay.  The Story itself has some unique Characters in it, plays out in ways that you don't expect and is more subtle than most.  The effect created from going to subtle to big is a good one here.  When big, crazy things happen, they stand out all the more.  Without SPOILing anything, the Film takes some Horror conventions and turns them on their head.  The Writers explained that they were influenced by a famous Horror Novel and wanted to do their Story in a different way.  I'm being vague, but I certainly can't stop you from looking any of this up.  The Practical Effects on display here (but not in my Review) are really good, while the CG ones are so-so.  This is obviously not some $100 million Film, so I can excuse some of it.  None of it is terrible, mind you.  As some Reviewers have noted, the Film could be a bit shorter (at nearly 2 hours).  All in all though, this is a neat, sublimated way to do a Horror Film that stands out.  Speaking of standing out, here is one of the drone-shot Angles used as a Transition...

Next up, I dive back into the world of Screeners for a bit.  Will a Genre-bending Western be just what I need?  Stay tuned...