Mercy Falls (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.

**_Deep woods adventure/horror in the wilds of Scotland_**

Five Brit youths pick up a stranger and embark on a two-day hike to a lost childhood cabin. After hostilities flare and tragedy strikes, will anyone make it back alive?

“Mercy Falls” (2023) is a backwoods thriller with stunning Scottish scenery, which is worth the price of admission. Brunette Nicolette McKeown stands out in the cast as Carla, as far as acting and charisma go, while raven-haired Layla Kirk is the most voluptuous as Heather. It’s the latter's moral looseness that sparks what unfolds. I didn’t find blonde Lauren Lyle appealing as Rhona, but she fits the role of an unassuming female that needs to rise to the challenge in an unexpected life-or-death situation.

As far as believability goes, freak accidents happen all the time and its hard to predict how a mentally damaged person will react. Then there’s the power of persuasion, not to mention a knife. So, while the key sequence could’ve been depicted a little better, what occurs isn’t exactly out of the realm of plausibility.

Concerning complaints about the ending, remember what Munny said, “It’s a hell of a thing killing a man.” Secondly, don’t underestimate the instinct to survive and adrenalin. At the end of the day, anyone who enjoys flicks involving survival situations in the wilderness, like “Deliverance,” “The Edge,” "Black Rock" or "Backcountry,” should find something to appreciate here.

I shouldn’t fail to add that the Scottish brogue is tough to understand for those outside the UK, so you’ll have to use the subtitles if you want to understand more than 50% of the dialogue.

The movie runs 1 hour, 43 minutes, was shot in Scotland.

GRADE: B-

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.