Spring Lakes

I'm a true supporter of indys. However, when you can clearly see cast and crew rating their own movie 10/10, then it goes to show the calibre of the film before watching it. The film itself should do the talking. Its the same with all the films from this cast and crew, reviewing their own work. Honestly, the film lacked a sense of direction with a confused storyline. It seems the focus shifted more towards the over the top and somewhat laughable acting at times rather than having a good story to follow, but they both needed more investment. 2 stars out of 10 for the effort. Otherwise i'd recommend they stick to their day job.

Spring lakes stars James Bryhan from Shadow and Bone, Typist Artist Pirate king and Oris Erhuero from Highlander and Redcon-1.

2 very talented stars from differing theatrical backgrounds coming together in indie film director, Ranjeet S Marwa's occult horror.

A quick little snip on what to expect.

The film revolves around Marcus who is coerced into searching for his sister by his mother , a manipulative and twisted character.

Oris brought all the charm and flair that he is well known for and played the part of the adoptive father with vigor . His scenes with Mary were tense but there was no explanation as to when and why their "children " were adopted. Rosalind Stockwell played Mary, Marcus's mother with such intensity that she was almost frightening. Her scenes with James Bryhan were raw and slightly disturbing, performed with such appetite I found myself feeling for both characters and their feelings towards one another. A son who despises his mother but yearns for her love and acceptance and a mother who has deep regrets for giving birth to her son.

James spends most of his time alone and in doing so, most actors , not all , would find it difficult to play with feelings without having someone to bounce off. James performs fantastically and excels as the tortured man who has come to realise the hell he has been put in. When he appears next to his co stars deep in the woods , he allows them to shine , almost standing back and allowing them to and may I say they certainly did. As a leading man, James did what all leading men do, he took the story and ran , A performance worthy of awards.

The film is simultaneously more horrific than it sounds, and less. On a basic blood-and-guts level, it's not very gory at all - your imagination is, as always, far more effective at anticipating what horrors you will witness than what actually ends up onscreen. But your imagination is also good at filling in what is implied by what we see.

This movie has invigorated my passion for the horror genre all over again with the inhuman actions of mankind and the depravity that the human soul can steep too. It can be horrific, especially when you have the believability of outstanding performances from James , Oris and Rosalind telling you the story.

An excellent watch. James Bryhan kept us in suspense right through the film showing us every emotion and his co stars David Lamont and Rosalind Stockwell complimented James character. I'd like to see more of them working together. David Lamont wrote the film and it was evident - his personality comes through. James as the the lead never disappointed and hope this catapults him going forward. Magnificent!

The eerie feel of the film based on the woods gives the viewer anticipation as to what could happen next. Shadowy figures in the house and the black manic ritual provided the right recipe to shock us all. Great film.

The scariest dysfunctional family ever to hit the screens. A relationship between a mother and son ( brilliantly portrayed by Rosalind Stockwell and James Bryhan) to rival that of Norman Bates and "mother" I thought this was going to be another in the woods horror and so didn't have much expectation, but as I watched the entwining levels of emotions , both human and beyond, the story became less black and white and more shades of grey. David Lamont was full on twisted and sickening. Something all horror bad guys should be. Evil and funny , almost a Freddy Krueger minus the claws , but seeing what he does to one of the characters, he doesn't need claws. Bryhan's performance was fantastic. The range of human emotions from the underlying subtle nuances when with his Mother shows a history of some sort of abuse with the little lost boy to the full out rage and frustration only matched by Stockwells magnificence. I only wish these two had more screen time together.

Spring Lakes is a slow burning, fluid piece that tales Marcus's story in a serious of gritty scenes as well as moments when he is alone ,all of which are framed around Marcus's fears, hopes and the reality of walking through hell , physically as well as mentally. The cast give powerful, invoking performances that pull you into the film.

The atmosphere surrounding these affectual moments is one of true horror. They are on the cheaper side of indie effects, but all uses are believable. The soundtrack and music score push the macabre of the story to chilling levels.

Overall Spring Lakes gives us a strong, true film in gory, dramatic honesty. Ranjeet's directing shines as does the fantastic and beautiful performance of James Bryhan , leading the story through a tumultuous rollercoaster ride of emotions, especially those with Rosalind Stockwell, bringing this nightmare to life making James worthy of his leading man status.

The beginning does move slowly but the performance of both Marcus and Mary keep you intrigued making a worthy film that warrants watching.