Mercy

An elderly woman named Mercy (Shirley Knight) is slipping away at her advanced age. She was a single mother of three as her husband killed himself while her children were young. Now, in her old age, she's become more violent and like a person in need of an exorcism. While everyone wants to get clear away from her, George (Chandler Riggs), her favorite grandchild, wants to help her.

This movie was O.K. They didn't do anything real inventive or creative. It seemed low budget from the special effects which doesn't necessarily kill a movie but it can hinder it severely if not done correctly. The movie hinged upon Chandler Riggs as he was the main protagonist but I don't think he delivered that well. He wasn't awful, he just wasn't good. I think he's better suited for helping his father kill zombies (for you Walking Dead fans out there). In the end the movie was just an average or even slightly below average horror film.

Despite its slow pace there is a solid film here with some decent performances. There are some confused plot points and it feels at time like a very complex and rich script is trying to force its way through a simplified movie, but it is certainly not without its charm.

The film reads like a classic ghost story that was shackled by attempts to make it a contemporary horror film that doesn't know who its audience actually is. There are elements of comedy mixed in which don't gel well with the general tone and jump scares that don't really fit either.

Overall it is worth watching due to its potential, but don't expect to be overwhelmed as somewhere along the lines most of this was squandered by the film overall throwing things against a wall and seeing what sticks.

The film was way under lit, I presume so they could cover for lack of good screenplay. Not good.

Yesterday I was watching "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" and I couldn't believe the actors involved in that production. Tonight I got to see "Mercy" and again it came as a big surprise the amount of known actors that participated in the movie. I hope that this is not a retire plan for good actors, but more of a transition, a different path, a way of completing their journey, cause let's face it, not a lot of people get involved with horrors nowadays.

Mercy is good, it starts slow, it even acts cheap or maybe dumb at times, but it is to fool you. To make you lower your expectations, caught you off guard and then strike! Not a masterpiece by all means, but if you are into horrors, you should see this. A lot more complex than your usual, far from a low budget film and a very believable acting. I think it could go hand in hand with The Dark (2005) because it is better than most, it shows a lot of potential, a darker path, a better film. One of the things I loved the most is that Mercy has only 1 hour and 18 minutes, they didn't bother to stretch it more than needed, it was a simple plan, a fast and well done execution and that's that. Finally, people who realized that it is best to show quality and not quantity!

Mercy won't spook you, scare you, but will build suspense around you and will deliver on other chapters. You just need to be a horror fan looking for different kind of work here. I for one enjoyed it.

Cheers!

This wasn't scary. Maybe for the younger crowds it might have been but not for someone who is looking for a true horror scare. It would be nice if someone could bring something new to the table.