Review: RED SPRING (2017) – Blood in the Snow 2017
The vampire has long been a favourite of the horror genre, both in the traditional Gothic style of the original Dracula through more modern interpretations such as SALEM’S LOT and even post-apocalyptic films like STAKELANDER or the classic novel I AM LEGEND. And it’s that scenario that Jeff Sinasac chose for his debut feature, RED SPRING. Sadly, it doesn’t live up to its predecessors, feeling much like a generic action film with the bloodsuckers as villains.
Focusing on a group of survivors who are trying to locate lost loved ones while staying one step ahead of their pursuers, They squabble among themselves, have run-ins with the undead and squabble some more before finding a highly defensible hideout. Of course, it soon becomes a siege situation and after much squabbling, the survivors attempt an escape.
If the original script hadn’t been written in 2003 I’d honestly have thought RED SPRING was trying to pull a riff on THE WALKING DEAD at times in its general structure and group dynamics. And while this might work for a tv show, it quickly becomes tedious in a movie and as a result, it just seems to drag on and on to its conclusion.
From a technical point of view, the film is well-made with some creepy makeup and decent cinematography, but they can’t overcome the lack of a good script. And there’s no excuse for this given the fact Sinasac had fourteen years to rewrite and improve it. Instead, RED SPRING is a well-made but dull film that owes more to RED DAWN than I AM LEGEND.
RED SPRING is premiering at this year’s Blood in the Snow festival while it looks for distribution. It might be worth a watch for vampire completists, but others will probably be bored.