4 Outrageous Springtime Horror Movies
Spring is the season that’s least associated with horror. Obviously, there are a ton of horror movies set during the fall and winter. Summer has plenty of camp slashers and water monster movies. But spring? A season associated with rebirth and renewal doesn’t necessarily jibe well with dark horror themes. Still, there are some notable springtime horror movies.
Here are four particularly odd and unique spring horror films. Two are set during spring break, one is on April Fool’s Day, and one is on Easter. I’ve listed the most outrageous moment from each movie.
April Fool’s Day (1986)
There were legions of slashers set on holidays during the ’80s. In 1986, it was April Fools Day’s turn. There are a couple of name actors in the cast. Thomas F. Wilson is here, fresh off his success as Biff in Back to the Future, and it co-stars Amy Steel, the lead from Friday the 13th Part 2.
There’s also Deborah Foreman, who appeared in several ’80s horror movies. She gets the creepiest role in the film.
This movie has a controversial and highly unorthodox ending, especially for its time. I won’t reveal the specifics, but let’s just say that the April Fool’s joke turns out be on us, the viewers. If you’ve seen the Michael Douglas movie The Game, the conclusion here is somewhat similar.
Most outrageous moment: The final ten minutes, especially the look on Amy Steel’s face when her character figures out what’s really going on.
Critters 2 (1988)
A horror movie set on Easter? Yep, they do exist! My guess is that the filmmakers chose Easter because Gremlins is set on Christmas.
In a rehash of the first movie, the critters return to small town Kansas and wreak more havoc. They devour Easter Eggs, eviscerate the Easter Bunny, and make a general nuisance of themselves. To me, this is almost as entertaining as the first. Critics trash it, but it’s a masterpiece compared to parts 3 and 4.
Most outrageous moment: The critters attack the Easter Bunny and somehow throw him through a church window.
Piranha 3-D (2010)
Piranha 3-D is the third theatrical installment of a franchise that includes Piranha and Piranha II: The Spawning. A spring break resort teeming with drunk dudes and scantily clad women is disrupted by an insatiable, bloodthirsty piranhas who can rip people to shreds in seconds.
Oddly, this the second of our springtime horror movies to feature actors from the Back to the Future franchise. This one has Christopher Lloyd as an eccentric scientist and Elizabeth Shue as the local sheriff.
The main character is the sheriff’s teenage son, Jake (Steven McQueen), who is supposed to be babysitting his younger siblings. He ditches them to hang out with the babes at the beach. Who he really desires is Kelly (Jessica Szohr), his pretty classmate. The family storyline has a surprising amount of emotion to it. That prevents Piranha 3-D from being completely brainless.
This movie is loaded with wild gore and a remarkable amount of gratuitous nudity. It feels like a throwback to the ’80s. The filmmakers knew their target audience, for sure!
Most outrageous moment: The piranhas graphically castrate a porn director.
Spring (2014)
Spring is an offbeat romance with body horror and cosmic horror elements. Evan (Lou Taylor Pucci) is mourning his mother, who has recently passed away from cancer. After getting into a bar fight, he decides to skip town and escape from his troubles.
He travels to Italy, where he meets and begins to date Louise (Nadia Hilker). She is evasive about certain things, which troubles him. It’s only later that he discovers her secret: Louise is an ancient mutant monster.
I thought Spring was going to be similar to movies like Species, with a paranormal creature seducing and killing men while disguised as a beautiful woman. This isn’t entirely wrong, but Spring takes the story in a different direction. Like April Fool’s Day, it has an ending that subverts expectations.
You’re probably wondering why this movie is called Spring. This storyline could take place at any time of the year, right? Actually, the spring season is significant, although this is only revealed in the third act.
Most outrageous moment: When Evan shows up at Louise’s apartment unexpectedly and sees her true form for the first time.
The Future of Springtime Horror Movies
You know what I want to see? More Easter horror films! Specifically, slasher movies with a maniac in a bunny suit. Yes, it’s a deranged request, but come on, it’s been done with Santa countless times. There’s even a tooth fairy horror movie!
There actually are several Easter bunny genre movies, but they’re all obscure, ultra low budget fare. How have we not gotten a major horror film about this? It’s mind boggling.
In any case, at least there are some spring horror movies that are worth seeing! If you still haven’t gotten into the spring feeling yet, check out my list of chilling winter horror movies. Or, if you’re looking ahead to summer, here’s my list of awesome aquatic horror movies.
