BiTS '17 Film Review - Red Spring

The undead has been a staple of movies and television since their rebirth since the rebirth of the virus spread phenomenon in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later.  With so many writers giving their vision on the genre it's hard to break new ground. Jeff Sinasac has managed to do so with Red Spring. The Canadian production follows a small group of humans that have survived an outbreak that has transformed the majority of the population into vampires. Some of the standard rules are followed, people are bitten and transform, they are normally not out in the day but the twist is the turned keep their abilities they had from before. They can drive cars, form roadblocks, shoot guns and track humans by sent that is used by the small band of humans to their advantage.

Sinasac stars in the film as Ray who at the fins opening is surveying rotting bodies in a shelter that has been overrun by vampires. He's looking for his wife and daughter who where were evacuated to the camp but are now missing. He head's back to the van where the rest of the group Bailey (Lindsey Middleton) driving, Solider Mitchell (Reece Presley) the defacto leader, Eric (Adam Cronheim) who himself had escaped from a farm just before becoming food and Carlos (Jonathan Robbins) are aboard with a plan to head out of the city. On their way, they come across Vicky (Elysia White) who persuades them to head to her Dad's place where there's a bomb shelter with plenty of food and security cameras to track any approach.

Sinasac flips the narrative part way through the film to give the vampire's point of view. They have a new recruit that knows the survivors well. The new disciple taunts his former friends, disrupts their hideout as a valuable tool to the vampire leader (Andre Guantanamo) who has past military training himself. The story uses scent in the spot where others have used movement or sound. The group is very aware of this leading them to use different methods to disguise their scent.

Red Spring is a fresh entry into the undead genre. The film has a healthy distrust of authority as the population was directed into shelters where many met their fate. Sinasac has something new to say about vampire behavior met with original strategies by survivors. It's a thoughtful piece and a film that I can recommend.

*** 1/2 Out of 4.

Red Spring | Jeff Sinasac | Canada | 2017 | 104 Minutes.

Tags: Vampires, Kincardine, Bomb Shelter, Motorcycle, Rain, Mud, Boat, Gunshot, Antibiotics, Ballet Class.