Having worked or studied hard, a middle-aged mother and her teenage daughter treat themselves to a stay in a holiday resort / wellness spa. Upon arrival both of them are much taken with this little slice of heaven. However, the daughter starts to suspect that all is not as it should be. Meanwhile the mother falls under the spell of the leader of the community, who is a most handsome and charismatic man...

As a thriller "Zephyr Springs" leaves something to be desired, mainly because of shortcomings in the plot. Not all of the developments make sense, in a psychological way. For instance, the mother - supposed to be an exemplary parent - is strangely unmoved by the news that her daughter found herself imprisoned in a hot sauna. Most mothers would react more forcibly to the idea that their only offspring was almost broiled to death. Moreover, it's strange that this same mother character falls so quickly under the spell of the local guru. This would sound more credible if, say, she had been groomed on the internet for weeks beforehand.

While we're at it, I'd like to point out that both the methods and motivations of the villain are muddled. This may result from the man having watched "The Ipcress File" a few times too many.

So "Zephyr Springs" isn't much of a thriller. However, it works better as a satirical condemnation of New Age guru-dom. There's a lot about the wellness spa that's instantly recognizable : the trite motivational slogans, the pseudo-profound pensées, the haphazard mix of Eastern and Western philosophies, the dumbed-down Freudianism, the deliberately maintained confusion between health, entertainment and self-indulgence, and so on. Also recognizable is the hands-on approach by spiritual teachers and yoga instructors anxious to help their female followers. A certain type of male has discovered, with a great deal of enthusiasm, that disciplines like yoga, meditation or massage make for a prime opportunity to touch female flesh. All you need as a modern sex pest is a few scented candles, a flask of body oil and an ability to speak like a living fortune cookie - and then it's up up and away.

One wonders about the direction our civilization is taking.

What a nice departure from some of Life Time's recent movies. 'Deadly Spa' began with suspense and managed to keep that suspense throughout the movie. The main three characters were very believable and the setting was stunning. Loved the fact that we got enough 'interior and exterior' action. There were a couple of editing goofs with day turning to night suddenly and visa versa, but it really didn't harm the production. What's important is the pace, and this movie kept right on trucking with no huge gaps. And there were some surprises for a change. I thought the blond woman was going to kill the lead towards the end, but I got fooled. What a departure from 'Sister Revenge' and 'Mad Teacher' (or whatever it was called a couple of weeks ago.... third rate compared to this production). Serious kudos to the director for grabbing us in and keeping us there the entire movie.

"Deadly Spa" (a.k.a., "Zephyr Springs") is an extremely unpleasant film set in a spy in Zephyr Springs. Dawn and her college-age daughter Kyla decide to splurge on an adventure to a spy that affords the chance to get away and to bond in an idyllic setting. But the adventure to hideaway called The Source turns into a nightmare.

The spa is run by a depraved individual named David James, who apparently has no credentials in psychology. At best, he comes across as a New Age guru. At worst, he is a nefarious predator. At one point, he waxes philosophical about taking a Left and Right turn. In his own life, he admits that he made the wrong decision and now must suffer the consequences.

After mother and daughter have arrived at the spy, Dawn is quite enamored of David. But the perceptive daughter senses something disturbing in his manner. While Kyla wants to leave the spy, Dawn insists that they stay. Through the young waiter Brett, Kyla learns that David is deranged, and that he has his sights set on keeping the mother and daughter hostage and brainwashing them.

The smooth operator David learns that the most vulnerable side of Dawn is her fear of being hurt again in a relationship. And he learns that Kyla lacks confidence and desires more than anything to believe that she is beautiful. David uses that information to dig his tentacles into the women. Again, it is Kyla who sees through David and resists him.

The frantic action sequence that brings things to a head involves the sport of archery. Early in the film, Kyla demonstrated that she was a skilled archer. For the sharp film viewer, there was no doubt at that moment that the bow and arrows would be put to good effect in the climax. Kyla's marksmanship will be on display, and the relationship of Dawn and Kyla will be put to the test. Sometimes, their relationship may bend. But like the path of an accurately placed arrow, the mother-daughter bond will never break.