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Spring Movie Review

Spring is a 2014 horror romance film directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead and starring Lou Taylor Pucci and Nadia Hilker. It’s a terrific genre-bender.

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“Vampire, werewolf, zombie, witch or alien?“

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Evan, a young American, travels to Italy where he meets and has unprotected sex with Louise, a flirtatious girl. Things take a turn when he goes to her house and witnesses something strange. This movie is by far the best feature that this duo has directed so far. Their movies are all quite original, but none are as unique and as professional as Spring is.

First and foremost, I find the simple idea of mixing the horror and the romance genres fascinating. It is rarely done in cinema, so here it felt both refreshing and wildly entertaining. It is an authentic mixture as the two seem like polar opposites of one another, but the duo found the way to seamlessly blend them in while including some rather funny comedic elements too.

Lou Taylor Pucci and Nadia Hilker are both surprisingly strong in the roles of Evan and Louise. These are both rather unknown actors, so the fact that they managed to deliver such memorable, believable performances makes them worthy of praise. The character development is also pretty good and I cared for the two and what will happen to their relationship, leading to a hugely successful romance.

The horror elements in Spring are also interesting, though clearly the movie is more concerned with the central relationship. The idea of this immortal mutant who isn’t really a werewolf nor a vampire nor a grotesque animal, but all of these things in-between was intriguing. The effects done on her were great. The movie was concerned with protecting Evan instead of really endangering him, which was a refreshingly low-key, anti-climactic approach that really worked.

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Spring is also much more ambitious and professional than all of the other Benson and Moorhead directorial efforts. The cinematography is particularly strong and Italy was wonderfully depicted here. The international aspects of the story were wonderful. Yes, the film is very much just another take on Linklater’s ‘Before Sunrise’, but the horror elements made it more authentic. The dialogue and the editing are both excellent, but even more could have been done with its supernatural elements.

What would happen if you mixed Linklater’s Before Sunrise with a supernatural body horror movie? You would get Spring, which is this very unique horror romance hybrid that surprisingly really works. The dialogue, cinematography and acting are all quite competent while the central relationship was highly moving and sweet. The film is both elegant and refreshingly low-key in its approach. As a result, Spring is by far the best thing that Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have done so far.

My Rating – 4.5