A mix of serial killer, backwoods slasher, and survivalist horror, Ryan Hendrick’s Mercy Falls is an often tense, if routine, thriller that delivers some impressive gore and stunning landscapes.
A group of friends meet up for a hiking trip in order to find a cabin left to Rhona (Lauren Lyle) by her father. She has mixed memories about the area (not least of the day that she saw her dad (Gilly Gilchrist) put a trapped horse out of its misery) and only a vague idea of where they’re going. Her best friend, Heather (Layla Kirk) has fixed Rhona up with the hunky Donnie (Joe Rising) while she’s there with her fella Scott (James Watterson). Unfortunately, Donnie brings along his laddish buddy Andy (Eoin Sweeney), who, larking about on their night at a hikers’ lodge, sees Heather have a drink poured over her white top. Trying to dry it off, she’s helped in the loos by Carla (Nicolette McKeown), who they’d previously ignored while hitchhiking. Heather invites Carla to join the group, much to Rhona’s annoyance. It’s clear when they set off the next day, however, that Carla might have the skills lacking in the others when it comes to being out in the open. When there’s an accident involving one the them, Carla’s instinct takes over, leaving the badly injured lad dead. |They are all naturally horrified, but Carla convinces the rest that they are complicit and they should get rid of the body and carry on their hike. What the team don’t yet realise is that Carla is military trained, and this is not her first rodeo.
Co-writer (alongside Meliá Grasska) and director Hendrick have crafted an impressive, if flawed, brooding tale of survival that’s well-acted by the opposing characters of Rhona and Carla. Both Lyle and McKeown are fantastic in their roles. Lyle, in particular, exudes a vulnerable performance that demands sympathy for Rhona, which is a world apart from the other, more oversexed members of the hiking group.
Where Mercy Falls comes up lacking is in some of the more contrived dialogue and heavily laid on menace of Carla. It’s clear from the moment we see her hitch-hiking, particularly with the talk in the car of not picking her up because she’d probably kill them all, we know she’s going to be the antagonist. There’s no sly twist to pull the rug, and that’s where the film suffers. There are moments where the story could go in different directions. There are atmospheric tales of sirens recited by Homer-loving Scott, and had the group not discovered Carla’s secret after the ‘mercy killing’, she wouldn’t have had to go on a murder spree.
The film is helped incredibly by John Rhodes’ cinematography, which really makes the most of the beautiful locations and Stephen Wright’s atmospheric but unobtrusive score. While Mercy Falls doesn’t quite knock it out of the park, it’s an entertaining survival horror that delivers when it needs to.
Mercy Falls is in cinemas now and arrives on digital on November 6th, 2023.
