Okay here we go.... We have all watched a movie that had us questioning the characters decisions. Like "Don't go in the basement" or grab the kitchen knife before you go investigate the strange noise. These characters make some of the stupidest decisions before they are picked off. Never split up always arm up. Also when being chased / slaughtered by a psychopath never never never stop to have sex... I mean really what were you thinking? The story and stupidity of the characters make this waste of time ridiculous. The actors do what they can. The scenery and locations are nice and that drone shot over an endless sea of forest fantastic ( though used in every movie since The Shining). If you want to sit with friends and riff on a movie this would qualify.
60 Reviews
Grim Struggle for Survival
lavatch25 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Oh, mercy! One of the characters in this film brings along his copy of Homer as he and his friends trek through the mountains to a cabin. The film aspired to select themes of the Iliad and the Odyssey and apply them to the gruesome experience of a trek through the mountains.
For the Iliad component, the Trojan War is played out with the friends doing battle with a shell-shocked veteran who has just escaped from a psychiatric institution. The Odyssey allegory involves one scene with the appearance of a siren and the wanderings of Rhona, who desperately attempts to return home from the war like the heroic Odysseus.
A shortcoming of the film was that the characters were not likable. They acted as if they were traveling to a mountain spa instead of walking through unmarked terrain with only a map in hand that they are unable to read. Their banter was mundane and inconsequential with no sense that they were embarking on an adventure. Do we really care whether or not one of the characters is a "skank"?
At the opening of the film, the friends refuse to pick up a hitchhiker, then decide to invite the same loner on their journey through the mountains, a decision that ultimately had fatal consequences in the hike to hell.
The film's ending was also disappointing with no clear sense of Rhona's outcome. There was some beautiful mountain scenery. But that was the only positive in an unpleasant experience that never approached the soaring rhetoric or the heroic stature of the characters of Homer's epic poems.
For the Iliad component, the Trojan War is played out with the friends doing battle with a shell-shocked veteran who has just escaped from a psychiatric institution. The Odyssey allegory involves one scene with the appearance of a siren and the wanderings of Rhona, who desperately attempts to return home from the war like the heroic Odysseus.
A shortcoming of the film was that the characters were not likable. They acted as if they were traveling to a mountain spa instead of walking through unmarked terrain with only a map in hand that they are unable to read. Their banter was mundane and inconsequential with no sense that they were embarking on an adventure. Do we really care whether or not one of the characters is a "skank"?
At the opening of the film, the friends refuse to pick up a hitchhiker, then decide to invite the same loner on their journey through the mountains, a decision that ultimately had fatal consequences in the hike to hell.
The film's ending was also disappointing with no clear sense of Rhona's outcome. There was some beautiful mountain scenery. But that was the only positive in an unpleasant experience that never approached the soaring rhetoric or the heroic stature of the characters of Homer's epic poems.
Mercy Falls
CinemaSerf2 September 2023
Anyone remember the BBC "Merlin" series with Colin Morgan? Well, this is really just like an updated version of one of his adventures, only without the costumes, charm or dragons! We start with some lovely drone footage of the treetops before being introduced to "Rhona" (Lauren Lyle) who has assembled four of her friends to hike twenty-odd miles into the wilderness to find a remote cabin that she has inherited from her long-time estranged father. They haven't a clue, but luckily "Carla" (Nicolette McKeown - who reminded me a lot of Rebecca Ferguson) is on hand and she offers to guide them on their quest. It turns out, though, that "Carla" has quite a psychologically malevolent streak and that "Rhona" and her mates are all rather fickle, shallow types - except, perhaps, "Scott" (James Watterson). What now ensues gets gradually more silly as we discover there is precious little that's likeable about any of these people before a denouement that says very little about the standard of high-end British military training. The audio work is effective, but the rest of this is unremarkable fayre that will keep until it's on the television around Halloween.
The 2 stars go to the scenery
scot-817183 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Nothing in this film makes sense in this terribly scripted film.
Characters who carry tiny backpacks, but still manage to fit in tents, changes of clothes, sleeping bags, frying pans and even a full climbing rack. They have sex when they are potentially about to die. One character knocks out the murderer by smashing a bottle against her head and instead of finishing off the job there and then, runs off to a cave to finish off the job there.
The characters are all badly written, cliched and badly acted. As soon as the film started I couldn't wait for them all to be killed and get this over and done with.
I live in the area this film was shot, so was looking forward to seeing the scenery on the big screen, but was even disappointed by the cinematography managing to make the area look a bit "Meh!"
The worst thing about the film however is how boring it is. I checked my watch at one point hoping we were near the end of the film, but was disappointed to find only 25 minutes had passed so far.
Probably my worst film of the year so far and I've seen Winnie the Pooh - Blood and Honey.
Characters who carry tiny backpacks, but still manage to fit in tents, changes of clothes, sleeping bags, frying pans and even a full climbing rack. They have sex when they are potentially about to die. One character knocks out the murderer by smashing a bottle against her head and instead of finishing off the job there and then, runs off to a cave to finish off the job there.
The characters are all badly written, cliched and badly acted. As soon as the film started I couldn't wait for them all to be killed and get this over and done with.
I live in the area this film was shot, so was looking forward to seeing the scenery on the big screen, but was even disappointed by the cinematography managing to make the area look a bit "Meh!"
The worst thing about the film however is how boring it is. I checked my watch at one point hoping we were near the end of the film, but was disappointed to find only 25 minutes had passed so far.
Probably my worst film of the year so far and I've seen Winnie the Pooh - Blood and Honey.
Abysmal logic, pet peeves, mediocre acting in a lame story
mfoxartist10 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I'm rooting for Tubi. I love the streamer, watch a ton of horror movies and other stuff on there, and hope they put out some great originals in the future. This is far from one of them.
The scenery, cinematography, production design, and some of the special effects were pretty good, and everything else sucked, including the screenplay, the plot, most of the acting, the fight scenes and the characters. In fact, the protagonists were all pretty awful people (save the heroine) and I was rooting for the villain nearly as much as the heroine. Nicolette McKeown plays the villain and she was the best actor in a mediocre cast.
The heroine committed my cardinal sin of horror movies; in the final fight, she hit the killer in the head and had her down (literally unconscious on the floor) and didn't finish the job by killing her then and there. Instead she risked her life and a few minutes later implausibly defeated the killer -- a trained military fighter -- in hand-to-hand combat.
Then the movie ends and we don't find out if the heroine survives her significant wounds. If logic prevailed, she would've bled to death from the unreachable wound in her back within an hour or two. But logic has nothing to do with Mercy Falls.
The scenery, cinematography, production design, and some of the special effects were pretty good, and everything else sucked, including the screenplay, the plot, most of the acting, the fight scenes and the characters. In fact, the protagonists were all pretty awful people (save the heroine) and I was rooting for the villain nearly as much as the heroine. Nicolette McKeown plays the villain and she was the best actor in a mediocre cast.
The heroine committed my cardinal sin of horror movies; in the final fight, she hit the killer in the head and had her down (literally unconscious on the floor) and didn't finish the job by killing her then and there. Instead she risked her life and a few minutes later implausibly defeated the killer -- a trained military fighter -- in hand-to-hand combat.
Then the movie ends and we don't find out if the heroine survives her significant wounds. If logic prevailed, she would've bled to death from the unreachable wound in her back within an hour or two. But logic has nothing to do with Mercy Falls.
Below avg low budget "thriller".
ericdhall7715 June 2023
There is not much positive to say about this film except it's location. The story, lacking. The reasoning is nonexistent. Terrible acting by everyone involved. The script is bad. I'm not sure why this has high ratings and listed as horror on Tubi because this is not horror. At most it is a contrived blah of an attempt at a thriller. I've liked most of the Tubi originals but this one just didn't do it for me. It's boring, honestly. I could not wait for it to end. It just wasn't a good movie, overall. I'm sure many will disagree. But, if you have time to kill and want something that will barely keep your attention, this is the film for you. A 3 is generous, honestly.
Amateurish
madelineangelahind-2697217 July 2023
Every cliche you can imagine is present in this tired, derivative waste of time. There isn't much to recommend in this uninspired low budget pablum.
The story isn't terrible but you've seen it all countless times before.
The acting is amateurish in the extreme. You can't present something to an audience with this poor level of acting and expect to be taken seriously. If you are trying to create tension or chills you need better actors. There are no two ways about it.
The film isn't exciting, scary or suspenseful. It is a cheap not very cheerful filler.
In all conscience I can't recommend this.
The story isn't terrible but you've seen it all countless times before.
The acting is amateurish in the extreme. You can't present something to an audience with this poor level of acting and expect to be taken seriously. If you are trying to create tension or chills you need better actors. There are no two ways about it.
The film isn't exciting, scary or suspenseful. It is a cheap not very cheerful filler.
In all conscience I can't recommend this.
It was actually painful
katyjackson-273435 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This film was actually laughable in places. I'm a big fan of thrillers/horror films but it's actually quite impressive how many stupid things the characters do to enable them to be picked off one by one. One character 'sacrifices' himself by pushing the log which separates the characters and the killer into a kind of valley when he could have crossed it like the others had done before him and then pushed it off rather than stay on the side with the killer and die... like really? The acting excluding the killer (Nicolette McKeown) was dire. The main character's back story was pointless. The only positives were that the deaths were done well and that the views were pretty of the countryside!
A surprisingly decent and serviceable suspense movie
pg29908 September 2023
Normally, this wouldn't be the type of film genre I would be interested in seeing and yet in spite of the familiar tropes often found in these horror/suspense movies (including this one), I found Mercy Falls surprisingly engaging. Though I found much of the dialogue to feel very "written", with those certain brands of cadences that you only find in movies such as this and not reflective in how people talk in real life. I also felt that the swearing came across as forced and unnatural at times and as often found in these types of low-budget affairs, I could have done without the obligatory pointless sex scenes. In spite of all this, I found the general premise of escaping from a killer and overcoming said obstacles to be fairly engaging. I also found the establishing shots to be surprisingly well put together for a low-budget film of this calibre. There were times were it felt like to movie was trying put across moments of symbolism, without really giving much thought into what the filmmakers intended, Though most of the performances of the principal cast were at best serviceable, I found the best performance came from Nicolette McKeown, who provided some great moments of drive and intensity in the role of Carla. I hope to see more of McKeown's work in future screen roles to come. So overall, if this is the sort of genre that would interest you and in spite of its budgetary, story and character limitations, I would recommend checking out Mercy Falls. Mostly on the strength of Nicolette McKeown's performance as the antagonist and some well produced establishing shots and moments of atmosphere. Otherwise, I would say either rent this or wait until comes out on a streaming service.
Cast help audience hrough a mercilessly half-cooked plot.
ctrmoore3 September 2023
This film has potential but is held short of the finish line by its middling plot and flimsy dialogue. However, the movie is visually stunning with beautiful sweeping shots of the Scottish wilderness and some very appealing shots in various scenes, the cinematography is worth a nod. Mercy Falls relies on the trope characters upon which the genre was built. And the cast work wonders to make these cliche characters work and feel believable and likable in the face of some truly poor writing. Some characters come over better than others - eg lead Lauren Lyle's performance as uninteresting protagonist, Rhona, comes over unenthusiastic aside from key moments- but overall the cast should be proud of being the highlight of the film. Layla Kirk and Nicolette McKeown are particular stand outs. Kirk brings convincing life and (more importantly) enjoyability to an otherwise lazy trope character, Heather. McKeown steers the ship as a solid antagonist, her character, Carla's story has such great potential but is underutilised by the writer(s) in favor of something much less gripping or compelling. But nonetheless she digs deep for the movie's strongest feature and her charisma will almost have you rooting for Carla to succeed in her hunt.
Fun enough, nice scenery
jlethier16 May 2023
There is nothing really surprising here. Mercy Falls is a thriller/horror, feels more like a thriller to me. You follow a group of friends hiking through the Scottish Highlands who picked up a spare person on the way. The pacing is great, cinematography is nice, characters are pretty believable. There's a bit of gore but nothing over the top. A few beautiful shots of the Scottish Highlands and the falls. Overall I enjoyed it and would probably recommend and watch again. Tubi has been my go to for streaming movies lately - they have so much available, and their "Tubi originals" are generally pretty entertaining.
A thrilling trek of terror
olivermarks3 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Mercy Falls...a thrilling trek of terror.
BAFTA nominated director Ryan Hendrick directs this survival horror/thriller that delivers fear to all viewers through its edge-of-the-seat anxiety.
A brief yet insightful insight into the film...a group of friends venture into a Scottish forest in search of a cabin. During this adventure the group gain an extra addition to their troupe...but, will this be an advantage or...a terrible mistake..?
As I begun to watch this film I felt the unique British film feel, a feeling I could compare to the likes of Dog Soldiers (Neil Marshall, 2002) or Sightseers (Ben Wheatley, 2012).
The location chosen for this film was perfect..it was a setting that didn't feel overtly in your face Scottish whilst also actually showing a side of the UK that holds the perfect natural beauty..coincidently a perfect place for a survival horror/thriller!
You can see and feel the notable performances of Rhona (Lauren Lyle - Outlander) and Carla (Nicolette McKeown - Lost at Christmas). Both these characters give a brave and fierce performance that stands tall above all. Lauren Lyle gives the role her all and made me feel her characters pain due to the pure performance she gives. On the other hand Nicolette McKeown's performance as Carla created a feeling of strong dislike, which ultimately fulfils the target that she went for with her acting. Both actresses show the essences of what it means to star in a film and go forth to create these powerful characters.
Moreover, the narrative structure felt natural and the series of events ultimately felt like it had a good flow from start to finish. Alongside this narrative structure the technicalities with the cinematography shines through. The cinematographies movement feels like I, the audience, is there. There's a handheld feel and this feeling adds a voyeuristic feel to it too; we're watching the events unfold whilst sitting anxiously waiting for some fearful event to occur.
Like any film criticism, there are elements I felt were weak.
I felt some of the performance had a wooden feel and left me feeling annoyed by some characters. Like, would I act like that in a situation like theirs? Would I, one minute, be crying then the next absolutely fine? It felt too forced and incoherent.
Narratively, as mentioned above, the timeline of events was well written and well constructed, but the scripting felt off in some places. It sometimes felt forced and unnatural with interactions.
Carla's backstory was something I felt the film could have explored further; I wanted to see more of how her previous experiences (seen in flashbacks) affected her and ultimately, how this series of events fully unfolded. This is something I felt had a really powerful meaning, but the film falls short by not venturing into that backstory.
Overall, this film fills the appetite for a anxiety filled thriller that follows similar routes that other survival thrillers have taken in the past.
This is worth the watch.
BAFTA nominated director Ryan Hendrick directs this survival horror/thriller that delivers fear to all viewers through its edge-of-the-seat anxiety.
A brief yet insightful insight into the film...a group of friends venture into a Scottish forest in search of a cabin. During this adventure the group gain an extra addition to their troupe...but, will this be an advantage or...a terrible mistake..?
As I begun to watch this film I felt the unique British film feel, a feeling I could compare to the likes of Dog Soldiers (Neil Marshall, 2002) or Sightseers (Ben Wheatley, 2012).
The location chosen for this film was perfect..it was a setting that didn't feel overtly in your face Scottish whilst also actually showing a side of the UK that holds the perfect natural beauty..coincidently a perfect place for a survival horror/thriller!
You can see and feel the notable performances of Rhona (Lauren Lyle - Outlander) and Carla (Nicolette McKeown - Lost at Christmas). Both these characters give a brave and fierce performance that stands tall above all. Lauren Lyle gives the role her all and made me feel her characters pain due to the pure performance she gives. On the other hand Nicolette McKeown's performance as Carla created a feeling of strong dislike, which ultimately fulfils the target that she went for with her acting. Both actresses show the essences of what it means to star in a film and go forth to create these powerful characters.
Moreover, the narrative structure felt natural and the series of events ultimately felt like it had a good flow from start to finish. Alongside this narrative structure the technicalities with the cinematography shines through. The cinematographies movement feels like I, the audience, is there. There's a handheld feel and this feeling adds a voyeuristic feel to it too; we're watching the events unfold whilst sitting anxiously waiting for some fearful event to occur.
Like any film criticism, there are elements I felt were weak.
I felt some of the performance had a wooden feel and left me feeling annoyed by some characters. Like, would I act like that in a situation like theirs? Would I, one minute, be crying then the next absolutely fine? It felt too forced and incoherent.
Narratively, as mentioned above, the timeline of events was well written and well constructed, but the scripting felt off in some places. It sometimes felt forced and unnatural with interactions.
Carla's backstory was something I felt the film could have explored further; I wanted to see more of how her previous experiences (seen in flashbacks) affected her and ultimately, how this series of events fully unfolded. This is something I felt had a really powerful meaning, but the film falls short by not venturing into that backstory.
Overall, this film fills the appetite for a anxiety filled thriller that follows similar routes that other survival thrillers have taken in the past.
This is worth the watch.
Sadly a missed opportunity
Moviegeek31327 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Good films are a rare find these days hence why I find myself only going to the cinema two or three times a year but seeing a spot for ' Mercy Falls' I felt an overwhelming urge to go to the cinema which I did.
I suppose the negatives in this review could perhaps be my preconceptions in what I thought this film would be.
Sadly I have a suspicion that there was an even better movie here that was lost on the editing table, just something about the production seemed disjointed and I have a feeling that the Actors were acting in a completely different film from what we had watched.
I really liked the name and the premise itself was good, a bit of a McGuffin with the cabin plot device but that's fine, I just found it to be a tad generic, there could have been a stronger motive driving her there than simply " My Dad died and we used to go to this cabin " arc.
The hitchhikers back story was also a bit generic, could have either doubled down on her back story or given less back story which would have given either empathy towards her character for what she endured or genuine fear as someone killing without a clear motive in itself is scary (case in point John Carpenters Halloween or The Hitcher) But unfortunately for audiences they opted for generic.
Also, the acting by the majority of the cast was below subpar, I didn't believe that these people knew nor liked one another let and had any sort of history.
Their lines seemed phoned in via that Air Hostess voice alot of Scottish Actors have (I blame Gregory's Girl for most of this) with no work fleshing out a character (this shows btw) The blonde woman who I'm assuming was the main character seemed a decent actress but when the hitchhiker character came into the movie she was overshadowed by an arguably superior actress and performance who had stage presence in abundance so much so I asked myself " Who IS that ? And why haven't I seen her before?" The saving grace of this film for me was that hitchhiker character played skillfully by Nicolette McKeown (She was that good I went to find the actresses name) , for me she really rescued this film and prevented me from walking out of a film that was starting to bore me.
I found it strange that she wasnt top billing although I have never seen anyone in this film on anything (to my recollection anyway) so I have no idea if this was a breakout role or debut or that but for me McKeown stole this movie and made it her own.
From the aforementioned I am a very tough critic but that character and actress Nicolette McKeown blew me away and made me want to see more of her.
There was a menace in there , a very dangerous and damaged woman with a sense of vulnerability that is very difficult to pull off yet she did.
I know this isn't real life but one of the main problems I had with the film is that that the hitchhiker was clearly trained in survival and combat, there is no way she would have been overpowered by a woman who looks like she'd run away scared from a wasp.
Ps, killing her off was a mistake as I feel if this film had been handled better they could have had a horror franchise set in Scotland with a female antagonist as the killer which would have been very progressive as would be having her survive.
I really wanted to like this film but as I said in my title that it was a missed opportunity.
One of those films that's poor but worth watching just for one actors performance but it could have been so much more.
Maybe one day we will get treated to a Snyder-esque cut of this or an even better remake built around Nicolettes character, one can only hope!
I suppose the negatives in this review could perhaps be my preconceptions in what I thought this film would be.
Sadly I have a suspicion that there was an even better movie here that was lost on the editing table, just something about the production seemed disjointed and I have a feeling that the Actors were acting in a completely different film from what we had watched.
I really liked the name and the premise itself was good, a bit of a McGuffin with the cabin plot device but that's fine, I just found it to be a tad generic, there could have been a stronger motive driving her there than simply " My Dad died and we used to go to this cabin " arc.
The hitchhikers back story was also a bit generic, could have either doubled down on her back story or given less back story which would have given either empathy towards her character for what she endured or genuine fear as someone killing without a clear motive in itself is scary (case in point John Carpenters Halloween or The Hitcher) But unfortunately for audiences they opted for generic.
Also, the acting by the majority of the cast was below subpar, I didn't believe that these people knew nor liked one another let and had any sort of history.
Their lines seemed phoned in via that Air Hostess voice alot of Scottish Actors have (I blame Gregory's Girl for most of this) with no work fleshing out a character (this shows btw) The blonde woman who I'm assuming was the main character seemed a decent actress but when the hitchhiker character came into the movie she was overshadowed by an arguably superior actress and performance who had stage presence in abundance so much so I asked myself " Who IS that ? And why haven't I seen her before?" The saving grace of this film for me was that hitchhiker character played skillfully by Nicolette McKeown (She was that good I went to find the actresses name) , for me she really rescued this film and prevented me from walking out of a film that was starting to bore me.
I found it strange that she wasnt top billing although I have never seen anyone in this film on anything (to my recollection anyway) so I have no idea if this was a breakout role or debut or that but for me McKeown stole this movie and made it her own.
From the aforementioned I am a very tough critic but that character and actress Nicolette McKeown blew me away and made me want to see more of her.
There was a menace in there , a very dangerous and damaged woman with a sense of vulnerability that is very difficult to pull off yet she did.
I know this isn't real life but one of the main problems I had with the film is that that the hitchhiker was clearly trained in survival and combat, there is no way she would have been overpowered by a woman who looks like she'd run away scared from a wasp.
Ps, killing her off was a mistake as I feel if this film had been handled better they could have had a horror franchise set in Scotland with a female antagonist as the killer which would have been very progressive as would be having her survive.
I really wanted to like this film but as I said in my title that it was a missed opportunity.
One of those films that's poor but worth watching just for one actors performance but it could have been so much more.
Maybe one day we will get treated to a Snyder-esque cut of this or an even better remake built around Nicolettes character, one can only hope!
Movie could've been great. Story line was really good.
eprusulis18 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This movie could've been easily an eight or nine, except for the fact that the ending was god awful. So do you have a sergeant in the army who has the very end is fighting a millennial marshmallow girl who doesn't really do anything for physical fitness instead of the five in two seconds Longwood you should've been with the girl in the army you should've just snapped her neck in reality that's the way the fight should've ended they end up making the fight go on and then of course the hero has to win, instead of maybe making a movie where the villain wins, I think that's it very aggravating when they do this all even though the heroes and nothing and the villain is a military, well trained force to be reckoned with we're gonna let the hero win man the Raiders could've made a great movie instead and I don't know who is in charge of Character development who chose what characters did what but god it was terrible.
Oh dear, what happened?
kjohn-7789119 January 2024
The movie starts off with a sniff of a forest survival horror movie which there are quite a few out there these days.
They can go well and still be cheaply done but this one was good until you see the war scenes which looked so cheap and nasty that it looked as if they were taken from another movie and put into this one.
Then you get the 'yes let's have a stranger hiking with us and we know nothing about her', okay why do script writers treat their audience as if they are thick?
This would never happen in real life, come on stop treating your audience like they are thick.
Other than that the movie had some good scenes in it and the acting wasn't bad.
I am giving it a four and that was a struggle.
They can go well and still be cheaply done but this one was good until you see the war scenes which looked so cheap and nasty that it looked as if they were taken from another movie and put into this one.
Then you get the 'yes let's have a stranger hiking with us and we know nothing about her', okay why do script writers treat their audience as if they are thick?
This would never happen in real life, come on stop treating your audience like they are thick.
Other than that the movie had some good scenes in it and the acting wasn't bad.
I am giving it a four and that was a struggle.
Better than I expected.
okpilak27 August 2023
Tubi Originals can be hit or miss, and while this really isn't a big hit, neither is it a stinker. The scenery in the Scottish Highlands and other camera work is actually quite good. At the beginning of the movie, as they are driving to the Inn, a woman is hitchhiking, and they pass her by, saying one can never be sure. In an evening get together at the Inn, one of the characters acts like a jerk, so one watches to see if he will be the first killed. Rhona's father left her a cabin in the woods, and they set out on a hike, and along comes Carla. But no emergency plan, as they didn't think one was important. It is clear the group are not hikers, but Carla seems to know the area, so she leads. So off they go, but how many will survive? In flashbacks, Carla is former soldier, likely in Afghanistan, and she has a 'unique' way of handling people who are in pain or suffering. Turns out she is psychotic and also a deserter. What is her motive for killing is not explained, but who will survive? It becomes a tense cat-and-mouse game. Rhona was there as a child, but that was a long time ago, so she isn't sure about the area. There are a couple of disconnects. For a short hike, Carla has a length of climbing rope and climbing gear. And the cabin once reached, seems out of place for how far it is from everything. It is not a simple back country shack. But the group of young people seems believable even if one wonders how they got together with so many conflicts present. The story progresses without a lot of side trips. It is a decent movie redeemed by the scenery.
Okish.
Saiph906 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
A group head off to a cottage left by a dead father to his daughter, with flash backs the daughter sees her father kill an injured horse, which haunts her. They are joined by a mysterious girl who has survival skills but turns out to be ex army and surfering post tramatic stress disorder. She turns out to be bonkers and starts slaughtering them all, final scene is the two girls fighting and the daughter survives. Not a bad film, could be better, the script is limited and the sounds poor. The plot is a obvious from the moment they drive past her in the car. At least trying to male a point about something "relevant".
Good Scottish Horror.
CWSaton3 September 2023
A really tense Scottish horror movie, with some great performances from the cast, and impressive cinematography of the stunning highland scenery.
I had the feeling while watching that the film was somewhat akin to a Scottish version of Wolf Creek, with some Predator vibes, which is no bad thing by any means.
Quite rare, in my experience, to see a small low budget indie horror of such high quality. Some future talent to watch for sure.
This horror movie buff gives it ten stabbings out of ten. Recommended.
Also, sharp eyed Monty Python fans will be rewarded with a surprise cameo. Keep a look out.
I had the feeling while watching that the film was somewhat akin to a Scottish version of Wolf Creek, with some Predator vibes, which is no bad thing by any means.
Quite rare, in my experience, to see a small low budget indie horror of such high quality. Some future talent to watch for sure.
This horror movie buff gives it ten stabbings out of ten. Recommended.
Also, sharp eyed Monty Python fans will be rewarded with a surprise cameo. Keep a look out.
7/10
honestreviewsyou17 May 2023
Very well done. I'm not going to give any spoilers, so I'll just say it straight. It has some flaws, but this is way better than you might think. It's really entertaining. I think Tubi is a must-have for movie lovers, especially horror fans. Great selection that only gets better and better. There have been numerous Movies I wanted to watch, but I couldn't find them anywhere, only for them to pop up on Tubi in perfect quality, Wishcraft is an example. So I'm a fan. I decided to check this out when I saw it was a Tubi original, and it's honestly a hidden gem. Acting was more than fine, and I've seen other streaming exclusive originals from more well-known companies that looked cheaper quality wise, and you have to pay monthly. Tubi is free and puts more effort into quality than many others. I recommend this one. Hopefully this doesn't sound like a marketing review for Tubi because I'm not affiliated. I just think this movie and tubi as a whole deserve credit.
Mercy-Less.....
FlashCallahan5 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Rhona, tormented by recurring nightmares about her dad killing a horse, has recently inherited a cabin, and takes her new boyfriend Donnie, and another couple, Heather and Scott, on a hike into the woods in search of the long lost cabin.
Things take a turn for the worse when Donnie's mate Andy turns up uninvited and then a hitchhiker Carla tags along. Love triangles form and the sexual jealousy simmers around the camp fire.
There Scott, with an edition of The Odyssey tucked under his arm, regales the others with the tale of the Sirens who lure unsuspecting victims to their death.
And do they have a siren in their midst.....
Imagine if Lara Croft did a First Blood by way of Predator, you get this film, and whilst watching this, you yearn for those films, as this really has nothing new to offer. So we have one character who suffers with PTSD, and she joins a band of insufferable characters, and fireworks sort of ensue.
The good thing, is that she kills them off by order of annoyance, so with every kill, the film gets better and better, but this is faint praise, as we have to get through some turgid dialogue before the film really takes off.
It's average at best, and when you are rooting for the bad guy, you know the film has failed somewhat.
Things take a turn for the worse when Donnie's mate Andy turns up uninvited and then a hitchhiker Carla tags along. Love triangles form and the sexual jealousy simmers around the camp fire.
There Scott, with an edition of The Odyssey tucked under his arm, regales the others with the tale of the Sirens who lure unsuspecting victims to their death.
And do they have a siren in their midst.....
Imagine if Lara Croft did a First Blood by way of Predator, you get this film, and whilst watching this, you yearn for those films, as this really has nothing new to offer. So we have one character who suffers with PTSD, and she joins a band of insufferable characters, and fireworks sort of ensue.
The good thing, is that she kills them off by order of annoyance, so with every kill, the film gets better and better, but this is faint praise, as we have to get through some turgid dialogue before the film really takes off.
It's average at best, and when you are rooting for the bad guy, you know the film has failed somewhat.
Fear? Yes, however trivial 1:26:00 Super Cliche
fabiofrost24 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I would certainly have given 5 to this fil but when I saw the sex scene in the final before the last battle I have not resisted anymore I flew on many things but that was truly ridiculous and as if a Roman legionary had sex 30 minutes before going In battle but how such a thing can ever come to mind but what kind of choices are at least that you don't get excited because you are about to die and then because force the thing so much! When I saw that scene C I remained very bad is too trivial and forced, at this point after yet another banality brought on the screen by this director I just have to give 1 as a vote, I hope that if it will have the opportunity to make another film Badi You have done and not to the usual trivial things.
Nice Scottish scenery - stupid decisions
dvfjfqx29 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
What I can't get out of my head is....why didn't they all cross the log over the ravine, then push it into the murky depths? Doh!!
It's watchable, a bit gruesome with some lovely Scottish scenery. I won't be rushing to rewatch it!!
What I can't get out of my head is....why didn't they all cross the log over the ravine, then push it into the murky depths? Doh!!
It's watchable, a bit gruesome with some lovely Scottish scenery. I won't be rushing to rewatch it!!
What I can't get out of my head is....why didn't they all cross the log over the ravine, then push it into the murky depths? Doh!!
It's watchable, a bit gruesome with some lovely Scottish scenery. I won't be rushing to rewatch it!!
It's watchable, a bit gruesome with some lovely Scottish scenery. I won't be rushing to rewatch it!!
What I can't get out of my head is....why didn't they all cross the log over the ravine, then push it into the murky depths? Doh!!
It's watchable, a bit gruesome with some lovely Scottish scenery. I won't be rushing to rewatch it!!
What I can't get out of my head is....why didn't they all cross the log over the ravine, then push it into the murky depths? Doh!!
It's watchable, a bit gruesome with some lovely Scottish scenery. I won't be rushing to rewatch it!!
Watchable, but stupid.
hgmclean-2325028 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Although this is isn't a terrible film by all means, I found the most entertaining part of it picking out the number of stupid decisions the characters make.
To list a few...
Are they all stoned or just living in movie world? I'm Glaswegian, and if some random slashed my pal's throat in front of me and my mates for what can only be described as a non life threatning, although serious injury (with some common sense) 'to put them out of their misery' there would definitely be another dead body a few minutes later, by the name of Carla in the case.
Then to be so easily coerced into disposing of your friends body immediately? No chance. IQ levels in the single figures here. Even staying away from the morality and backwardness of this, looking at it abstractly, if you stay in Scotland, you know what I mean when I say there isn't enough wilderness to stop the body being found very quickly, espeically in a beauty spot like the watefall. Hang on til I just pop a body in the devil's pulpit or at the Falls of Falloch and hope no one finds it. Not to mention the police picking holes in 5 thicko's stories before they've even got to the police station. Could go on about this major stupidity but there's too much more to mention.
Secondly, why wait until a pretty experienced climber reaches the top before running away from them? Surely the halfway point or thereabouts would be much better, a quick abseil down from the top negates their headstart. Even before this, just clobber her on the back of the head, she's leading the way and there's four of them behind her.
Straight after the above, why not just cross the log then kick it down rather than try and and be a hero and stay at the other side, and still not fight back anyway? What I assume is an ice axe (don't know why she has that in those conditions) through the throat for his trouble. Got to be the most stupid part of the movie.
2 instances of doing the old horror favourite; psycho murderer on the loose and probably not far behind, but I'll just disappear into the woods for a pee, out of site. Goodnight Vienna. Towards the climax of the action, the bold Scott decides to nip outside on his own, in the dark, with no weapon. Take a guess how that goes for him. Even when he is attacked, why the hell not scream on Rhona, at least to make her aware, if not for help? Oh and by the way, this is literally just after they've had their trousers down, in the middle of a crisis still covered in their friends blood, knowing the psycho is coming for them...must've been a quickie.
Finally, the bold Rhona glasses Carla and could easily dispatch her, but instead decides to take off running to a cave to finish off the job? Just madness.
There's plenty more stupidity but the above are the biggest flaws in the tale for me.
Overall though, if you can look past the stupidity, you have found a good time filler of a movie.
The acting is OK, the scenery and camera work is good, the story is what it is and the soundtrack does its job. The special effects are strong for the budget too.
Fun fact, the cave is also featured in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
To list a few...
Are they all stoned or just living in movie world? I'm Glaswegian, and if some random slashed my pal's throat in front of me and my mates for what can only be described as a non life threatning, although serious injury (with some common sense) 'to put them out of their misery' there would definitely be another dead body a few minutes later, by the name of Carla in the case.
Then to be so easily coerced into disposing of your friends body immediately? No chance. IQ levels in the single figures here. Even staying away from the morality and backwardness of this, looking at it abstractly, if you stay in Scotland, you know what I mean when I say there isn't enough wilderness to stop the body being found very quickly, espeically in a beauty spot like the watefall. Hang on til I just pop a body in the devil's pulpit or at the Falls of Falloch and hope no one finds it. Not to mention the police picking holes in 5 thicko's stories before they've even got to the police station. Could go on about this major stupidity but there's too much more to mention.
Secondly, why wait until a pretty experienced climber reaches the top before running away from them? Surely the halfway point or thereabouts would be much better, a quick abseil down from the top negates their headstart. Even before this, just clobber her on the back of the head, she's leading the way and there's four of them behind her.
Straight after the above, why not just cross the log then kick it down rather than try and and be a hero and stay at the other side, and still not fight back anyway? What I assume is an ice axe (don't know why she has that in those conditions) through the throat for his trouble. Got to be the most stupid part of the movie.
2 instances of doing the old horror favourite; psycho murderer on the loose and probably not far behind, but I'll just disappear into the woods for a pee, out of site. Goodnight Vienna. Towards the climax of the action, the bold Scott decides to nip outside on his own, in the dark, with no weapon. Take a guess how that goes for him. Even when he is attacked, why the hell not scream on Rhona, at least to make her aware, if not for help? Oh and by the way, this is literally just after they've had their trousers down, in the middle of a crisis still covered in their friends blood, knowing the psycho is coming for them...must've been a quickie.
Finally, the bold Rhona glasses Carla and could easily dispatch her, but instead decides to take off running to a cave to finish off the job? Just madness.
There's plenty more stupidity but the above are the biggest flaws in the tale for me.
Overall though, if you can look past the stupidity, you have found a good time filler of a movie.
The acting is OK, the scenery and camera work is good, the story is what it is and the soundtrack does its job. The special effects are strong for the budget too.
Fun fact, the cave is also featured in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Decent low budget survival film
jmbovan-47-16017316 May 2023
I upped to a 7 given the acting of the main actress Lauren Lyle, and the overall plot. Other actors don't do as well with their characters, and what may have added to this is the underdeveloped nature of the writing for the characterization.
A group of relative inexperienced hikers are going into the Scottish highlands to find a secluded cabin left to the main character, Rhona, by her father. Their relationships was strained at an early age for her (this is depicted in flashbacks), so she isn't too clear on how to get there. Cue a stranger being invited into the group by Rhona's more spirited and freethinking friend per her apparent outdoors skills and strength. This starts the group down a dark path that tests not only their hiking abilities but also their survival skills.
Decent outcome of the story depicts ideas of intent in one's life, living and thriving in life rather than just passing through life. This film though does it in a more extreme manner.
A group of relative inexperienced hikers are going into the Scottish highlands to find a secluded cabin left to the main character, Rhona, by her father. Their relationships was strained at an early age for her (this is depicted in flashbacks), so she isn't too clear on how to get there. Cue a stranger being invited into the group by Rhona's more spirited and freethinking friend per her apparent outdoors skills and strength. This starts the group down a dark path that tests not only their hiking abilities but also their survival skills.
Decent outcome of the story depicts ideas of intent in one's life, living and thriving in life rather than just passing through life. This film though does it in a more extreme manner.
Mercy Falls somehow manages to be a unique, "slaughter in the woods" movie in an ocean of s/w movies.
rrobin-7298219 May 2023
I was expecting Mercy Falls to be just another "slaughter in the woods(s/w)" horror movie. I can't think of a single part of the movie that was dry or boring. The horror did get gory as the movie progressed, but, in my opinion, it was never overly exaggerated. The characters seemed to interact naturally and each played their role well. The scenery was beautiful, and for the most part the storyline made sense. There could have been more of an effort put into each characters link to the main character, some of the symbolic items and why the trip was important. If you enjoy horror movies, especially old school horror movies, Mercy Falls is definitely worth watching.
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