# Spring (2014 film)
**Spring** is a 2014 horror-romance film directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, written by Benson, and starring [Lou Taylor Pucci](https://www.edgepedia.org/lou-taylor-pucci) as Evan and Nadia Hilker as Louise. It follows a young American who, after losing his mother and his job in the same week, flees to Italy and falls into a romance with a woman harboring a dark, primordial secret.[1](https://www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org/2015/spring/) • [2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/spring-2015) The film was the second directorial effort from Benson and Moorhead after their 2012 debut *[Resolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/resolution-film)*, and it became known for splicing the conventions of the romantic drama with body horror and Lovecraftian elements.[1](https://www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org/2015/spring/) • [3](https://mubi.com/en/films/spring-2014/critics-reviews)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Directors / writer | Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead; screenplay by Benson[4](https://www1.nziff.co.nz/2015/wellington/spring/) |
| Cast | Lou Taylor Pucci (Evan), Nadia Hilker (Louise), Francesco Carnelutti (Angelo), Nick Nevern (Thomas), Jeremy Gardner (Tommy), Vinny Curran (Mike)[4](https://www1.nziff.co.nz/2015/wellington/spring/) |
| Runtime / origin | 109 minutes; festival listings give Italy-USA 2014, streaming listings give United States[5](https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp?BOparam%3A%3AWScontent%3A%3AloadArticle%3A%3Apermalink=spring) • [2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/spring-2015) |
| Crew | Cinematography Aaron Moorhead; editing Michael Felker, Benson, and Moorhead; music Jimmy LaValle[4](https://www1.nziff.co.nz/2015/wellington/spring/) |
| Producers | Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, David Lawson, Luca Legnani[4](https://www1.nziff.co.nz/2015/wellington/spring/) |
| Festivals | Toronto International Film Festival 2014, Fantastic Fest 2014, BFI London Film Festival 2014[1](https://www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org/2015/spring/) • [5](https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp?BOparam%3A%3AWScontent%3A%3AloadArticle%3A%3Apermalink=spring) |
| Reception | JustWatch user rating 78%, IMDb 6.7 from about 34,000 votes, Rotten Tomatoes 85%[2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/spring-2015) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Evan is first seen at the bedside of his dying mother. In the days after her death his life spirals out of control: he gets into a fight, loses his job, and leaves the United States for Italy with his inheritance money.[6](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/spring-2014-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) • [1](https://www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org/2015/spring/) [Wandering](https://www.edgepedia.org/wandering) the country with a pair of British travelers, he eventually settles in coastal southern Italy, where he meets Louise, a flirtatious local woman conducting research into evolutionary genetics.[6](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/spring-2014-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) • [7](https://www.timeout.com/movies/spring)
The two begin a passionate romance, but Louise carries a secret: she is a bloodthirsty monster, a creature with an ancient past and deadly supernatural needs.[1](https://www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org/2015/spring/) • [8](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/8054) The film drops hints along the way, including fleeting glimpses of transformational body horror and a syringe Louise explains away as treatment for a medical condition, before the supernatural element becomes explicit.[6](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/spring-2014-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) • [7](https://www.timeout.com/movies/spring) At one point the male lead asks directly, "Are you a vampire, werewolf, zombie, witch, or alien?"[8](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/8054) The story becomes a test of how far Evan will go to keep the relationship, framed by the film's themes of mortality, love, and sacrifice.[6](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/spring-2014-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)
## Genre hybrid and style
Critics consistently described *Spring* as a genre hybrid. Anton Bitel, writing in *Sight & Sound*, said the film "splices the DNA of *Before Sunrise* and *Possession* to engender a monster movie at the shoreline of biology and romance," and Gavin Smith called it "genuinely original and semi-unclassifiable," imagining "*Before Sunrise* redone as a horror film."[3](https://mubi.com/en/films/spring-2014/critics-reviews) Variety's line, quoted by the Calgary Underground Film Festival, was that "if Richard Linklater attempted a remake of Val Lewton's *Cat People*, the end result might resemble *Spring*."[1](https://www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org/2015/spring/) The BFI described it as "part love story, part horror film" that "continues to break genre rules," indebted to Linklater's *Before Sunrise* as much as to the stories of [H. P. Lovecraft](https://www.edgepedia.org/h-p-lovecraft).[5](https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp?BOparam%3A%3AWScontent%3A%3AloadArticle%3A%3Apermalink=spring)
The [Museum of Modern Art](https://www.edgepedia.org/museum-of-modern-art)'s notes credited the directors with avoiding parody through "measured use of body horror, a witty script, and naturalistic performances," and observed that in horror films sexual desire typically ends in death, which this film sets out to test.[8](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/8054) The New Zealand International Film Festival's synopsis noted that the directors "aren't interested in rolling out the usual horror set-ups," spending time on the romance before introducing the first Lovecraftian hints.[4](https://www1.nziff.co.nz/2015/wellington/spring/)
**Craft on a small budget.** Reviewers singled out the film's economical production. Eye for Film praised special effects that were "sparingly used" yet brilliant, alongside Aaron Moorhead's "dreamy cinematography."[6](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/spring-2014-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ScreenHub noted the directors' visual choices, from circling the couple's first meeting to using drones for the scenery and slowly ramping up low-budget effects, while keeping people and emotion ahead of spectacle; it rated the film 4 stars out of 5.[9](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/reviews/spring-248498-1421250/)
## Reception and awards
The film premiered on the 2014 festival circuit as an official selection of [Fantastic Fest](https://www.edgepedia.org/fantastic-fest) and the [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival), and screened at the [BFI London Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/bfi-london-film-festival) in 2014.[1](https://www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org/2015/spring/) • [5](https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp?BOparam%3A%3AWScontent%3A%3AloadArticle%3A%3Apermalink=spring) At Fantastic Fest 2014 it received the Next Wave Award for Best Actor, and the directors received a Directors to Watch honor at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in 2014.[1](https://www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org/2015/spring/)
Critical response was largely positive, with some dissent. Alan Scherstuhl of the *Village Voice* wrote that "the suspense and pleasure of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead's talking-and-tentacles horror romance *Spring* lies in discovering what shape the film is going to take."[4](https://www1.nziff.co.nz/2015/wellington/spring/) [David Ehrlich](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-ehrlich) called the conclusion "fleet and ambiguous, yet satisfying."[10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/spring/) Chuck Bowen, in *The House Next Door*, argued that the horror scenes authentically violate the narrative's status quo but that the directors "squander that tension" by telling audiences what they want to hear.[3](https://mubi.com/en/films/spring-2014/critics-reviews) Time Out gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, finding that the slow pace inhibits the tension and the film cannot fully reconcile its inspirations, while still calling it a work of "envelope-pushing ambition and originality."[7](https://www.timeout.com/movies/spring) Aggregated scores later stood at 78% on [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch), 6.7 on IMDb from about 34,000 votes, and 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.[2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/spring-2015)
## Filmmakers and distribution
Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, working as a co-directing team, made *Resolution* in 2012 and contributed a segment to the horror anthology *V/H/S: Viral* (2014) before *Spring*; Moorhead grew up in Florida and graduated from the Florida State University Film School.[1](https://www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org/2015/spring/) • [11](https://s3.amazonaws.com/festivaldorio/2014/catalogo/Catalogo2014.pdf) The film was produced by Rustic Films and XYZ Films and distributed by Drafthouse Films.[12](https://www.honorarts.com/post/spring-2014-an-honorable-mention) Sales were handled by XYZ Films.[5](https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp?BOparam%3A%3AWScontent%3A%3AloadArticle%3A%3Apermalink=spring)
The film has remained widely available: as of the most recent listings it streams free with ads on services including [Pluto TV](https://www.edgepedia.org/pluto-tv) and Tubi TV, and can be rented or bought on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, and Fandango at Home, with DVD and Blu-ray editions also on sale.[2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/spring-2015)
## References
1. [Spring, Calgary Underground Film Festival](https://www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org/2015/spring/)
2. [Spring streaming: where to watch movie online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/spring-2015)
3. [Spring (2014) critic reviews, MUBI](https://mubi.com/en/films/spring-2014/critics-reviews)
4. [Spring, New Zealand International Film Festival 2015](https://www1.nziff.co.nz/2015/wellington/spring/)
5. [Spring, BFI London Film Festival 2014](https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp?BOparam%3A%3AWScontent%3A%3AloadArticle%3A%3Apermalink=spring)
6. [Spring (2014) film review, Eye for Film](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/spring-2014-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)
7. [Spring review, Time Out](https://www.timeout.com/movies/spring)
8. [Spring. 2014. Directed by Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, MoMA](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/8054)
9. [Spring review, ScreenHub](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/reviews/spring-248498-1421250/)
10. [Spring Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/spring/)
11. [Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Festival do Rio 2014 catalog](https://s3.amazonaws.com/festivaldorio/2014/catalogo/Catalogo2014.pdf)
12. [Spring (2014): An HONORable Mention, Honor Arts](https://www.honorarts.com/post/spring-2014-an-honorable-mention)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Horror films (individual works)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license