Mercy Falls

After being left a cabin remote cabin by her recently deceased father, Rhona (Lauren Lyle) and a group of friends set off into the Scottish Highlands to locate it. On their way they meet Carla (Nicolette McKeown), who convinces the group to let her be their guide. Once far from civilisation, an unforeseen tragedy befalls the group and one bad decision leads to suspicion, betrayal and murder. It’s clear director Ryan Hendrick have an undeniable love for the Highlands, with cinematographer John Rhodes weaving gorgeous shots into the tapestry of this story. Add to that the strong casting choices and this Scottish independent film is off to a good start. I feel it gets a little muddled in places – there appears to be no motive behind the antagonist’s actions other than their past. The incident that twists this from a group weekend away to a full-blown nightmare is confusing – it seems to escalate in seconds almost unnecessarily. If this had been fleshed out a little, and perhaps the first death being at the hands of the antagonist instead, they would have been more convincing as a threat. In addition, we have multiple characters dealing with varying degrees of trauma, some is given more explanation than others. I feel this may have benefitted from a little more character development if we are to expect this to factor into later plot developments. That being said, the kills in this are well executed. Independent horrors live and die by practical effects and the skill shown here is effective. There’s one death with climbing rope which is both parts genius and plays well into the unexpected strength of the killer. And fans of full body fire shots can rejoice as we’re treated to this visual spectacle in a later scene. Flashbacks are used to good effect throughout the film. Although initially confusing, all lose ends are tied by the finale. This scene is particularly well shot, located in a cave with great effects and believable interplay between our final girl and antagonist. The battle of wits between the two characters makes for an engaging watch. Overall, Mercy Falls is great viewing for the lead performances and cinematography. It’s clear to see some creative ideas here, particularly with character’s final moments and the film’s location, so I’d be intrigued to see what future projects hold.