By Melissa Ann
Spring is a simple, yet beautiful, movie that explores a very non-traditional love story and stars Lou Taylor Pucci (Evil Dead 2013) and Nadia Hilker. Lou Taylor Pucci is an actor that I always enjoy seeing on screen and I had the pleasure of meeting him recently. Needless to say, I was beyond excited to check this movie out. I went into the movie expecting a sci fi/horror, but found it to be more of a romantic drama with sci fi/horror elements thrown in briefly… very briefly.
The movie follows the story of Evan (Lou Taylor Pucci), an American who suddenly decides to travel to Italy after his mother passes away. As he is traveling down the coast, he stops at a village and meets Louise (Nadia Hilker). Evan finds himself falling for Louise immediately and the couple soon strikes up a romance. However, Louise has a dark secret and isn’t what she appears to be. Her body will transform into a primitive Lovecraftian creature, but she does have a serum that keeps it at bay. Once Evan discovers her in mid-transformation and discovers what she actually is, he must decide if their relationship is worth pursuing. Her body must also decide if she has truly found love after being alive for so many decades.
Although Spring is polished, I found it to be incredibly slow. I enjoy a good slow burn when the ending pays off, but this didn’t quite get there for me. The creature that Louise transforms into is a bit of a mess and not very interesting. I appreciate the practical effects that went into the big transformation, but it was a bit disappointing to watch after such a long build up. However, there are many good elements that work for the film and will be appreciated by viewers who enjoy a strong love story within their horror movies. I’m pleased to have experienced it, but it was definitely a one-time watch for this horror gal.
Rating: 6/10
