The upcoming romantic(?) horror film Spring is set to premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on September 5th – tomorrow as of writing – as a part of the festival’s Vanguard program – which promises the films will be “provocative, sexy… possibly dangerous” – along with similar fare, like Takashi Miike’s Over Your Dead Body, and the Austrian horror, Goodnight Mommy. The trailer is uncomfortably, unnerving, and of course, scary.

When his ailing mother dies, Evan (Lou Taylor Pucci, of the recent Evil Dead) realizes his life isn’t going anywhere. Grabbing his last paycheque, he decides to go on the European graduation trip that he never got a chance to take. Picking a destination at random, he arrives in Italy, where he backpacks and parties with other tourists. But everything changes for Evan when he arrives in an idyllic southern town and meets the enchanting Louise (German actress Nadia Hilker). A tender romance begins to bloom between the two — but Louise harbours a dark, primordial secret that could destroy the happiness they’re just beginning to build.

Spring is the second feature film outing of directing partners, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead. Their debut feature, Resolution premiered at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival, and received warm reviews.

TIFF’s official site compares Spring to Richard Linklater’s thoughtful romance, Before Sunrise “with a supernatural twist.”