Mercy Black Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: After being released from a mental institution, a woman must come to terms with her childhood crime and the potential supernatural force she awakened.

Review: Part ripoff of the Slender Man mythos--and huge exploitation of the real life Slender Man stabbing case--this film deserves a lot of the hate it's getting. With that said, this was surprisingly entertaining with all things considered. In fact, it's significantly better than the retarded Slender Man movie that came out a few years ago. My main complaint with the film really is that it's completely derivative in every conceivable way. But what happens when an imitation actually surpasses what it's ripping off? Well, you get "Mercy Black."

I will say this...the blinder you go into this movie the better it will feel. So a little backstory: As a little girl, Marina, and her best friend, appear to kill a third friend in order to summon this supernatural being called Mercy Black. After 15 years in a mental institution, Marina is released and tries to live a normal life. Her memories are fuzzy and a portion of the mystery is figuring out what actually happened all those years ago. On the peripheral, Marina's nephew is convinced Mercy Black is real and appears to be following in his aunt's footsteps. For the majority of the film you can't be sure if Mercy Black is real or whether someone is trying to get revenge on Marina. I think this direction was presented incredibly well with plenty of red herrings. Likewise, the film delivers on the twists with a satisfying payoff.

The story does try to make Marina more innocent than she should be--essentially absolving her of her crimes--but the way the character is depicted works; a big part of this is due to the actress, Daniella Pineda. I did think the film was going in the direction that Marina was the mastermind behind it all, but the filmmakers opted for a different direction which was appreciated. Where the film falters most is in the lack of substance. Is this a movie about psychological recovery or a whodunnit or a supernatural horror? It's hard to adequately explain it...but the events lack a kind of fluidity between scenes. Furthermore, there was a severe lack of inner turmoil. These characters are experiencing bizarre events, murder, and so much more yet are not reacting believably. Marina especially should have had more moments of psychological breaks, and the sister should have suspected Marina was behind it all or at least considered this angle.

 Ms. Pineda is definitely a cutey, and I love that hair style.

Overall, I don't think "Mercy Black" fully deserves the critical trouncing it has received. Oh, sure, it's unoriginal, but this is what the Slender Man movie should have actually been. Is it in bad taste to trivialize the real stabbing case? Maybe, but many crime shows and movies borrow from real events so I can't hold it against this movie. I'm not saying this is going to knock your socks off, but I think many audiences will be pleasantly surprised by "Mercy Black" and its twists and turns. In effect, this movie is better than it has any right to be.

Notable Moment: When the son is trying to kill his friend. There was just something so disturbing about this scene to me.

Final Rating: 6/10

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