Almost Mercy (2015) User Reviews (25)

I agree with those who say the movie betrayed itself

[bloopville · 5/10 · 3 August 2016]

What started out as an intelligent movie that might have had something to say about the deterioration of exurban America ended up being a juvenile rant. In order to have some sympathy for the actions of the protagonist her victims are portrayed as depraved hypocrites, but none of their actions forgive the infantile response of Emily. In fact, the only person who deserves more than humiliation is the pedophile priest.

The two girls with the jerky jock kids are just innocent bystanders. What was their sin? Bad taste in dudes?

Killing the relatively sweet but dumb coach was the act that lowered Emily to a level far below her victims. His "evil" was so banal as to be immaterial.

There is no message here, only a childish temper tantrum.

An Independent Horror Film Worth Watching!

[bmfortier · 7/10 · 11 August 2015]

There are two types of horror movies we see being scrounged up these days. There are the over the top flicks that make you "jump" with spontaneous startles or over the top gore. Then there are flicks that have something to say about modern society and cultural values, strewn in with over the top murder and other risqué elements. "Almost Mercy" sits comfortably in the latter category, bringing elements of social commentary in with over the top gore, sex, and violence.

The story starts off by introducing Jackson (Jesse Dufault) and Emily (Danielle Guldin) as two outcasts in a small town in Rhode Island riddled with corrupt leaders, parents with addictions to pills and infidelity, and all kinds of terrible mentors that haunt Jackson and Emily's childhood. For a while, you feel a lot of sympathy for the two troubled youths. Dufault and Guldin have terrific chemistry and truly bring their characters to life. There are no awkward lines. Even their first on scene kiss doesn't feel or look terribly awkward. Sometimes it can be difficult for two actors to portray a life-long friendship, but Guldin and Dufault pull it off quite well!

As with many horror films, there is no moderation. All of the characters are terrible, terrible people on a moralistic stand point. Jackson and Emily are made out to be the victims, until the last 20 or so minutes of the film where Emily finally snaps and ends up violently butchering almost all of the "bullies" that are introduced in the film. If you found yourself cheering for Emily, the film makers did their job properly. This is truly where the social commentary value lies. At some point you say to yourself "Wow, I'm cheering for the mass murderer right now." Emily's character does show a bit of humanity when her mother overdoses, but that seems to only add fuel to the young girl's rage.

Overall, I was impressed by this indie flick. There are some scenes that drag a bit, audio quirks that caught my ear, and some make up / FX that seemed off, but thanks to the enthralling story, none of that really bothered me enough to turn it off in displeasure. Composition was fantastic throughout the story. Lighting was on point and there weren't any scenes where I was struggling to make out what was happening, which is a common flaw in a lot of low budget films.

As mentioned earlier, the movie does drag at some points. There are sequences with many fast cuts to show long lapses in time which help push the story along fantastically. However, these are often followed by slow, droning scenes that creep along, not allowing the rebuilding of tension, just sluggishly moving the story to the next major plot point. I think the editor's could have shaved a good 6 - 8 minutes off the film and still came out with a fantastic final product.

Oh, Rhode Islanders will love this movie, as it takes place in RI and you will recognize some of the locations if you're from the state.

Best Of 2015

[Poptart_Psycho · 7/10 · 3 November 2015]

I came by this movie by accident, I saw it under the horror genre and what struck me was the casting Bill Mosely (House of 100 Corpses) and Kane Hodder (Friday The 13th) so I was already expecting something good but unique and I wasn't disappointed... It wasn't even the well known actors that made it good Almost Mercy follows Jackson and Emily (whom narrates throughout the film) both sociopaths waiting to explode. The young kids are bullied throughout school because there a little different deemed strange. Events start to build up as they enter senior year, Emily finds drugs and partying whilst Jackson find guns this ultimately leaves him 2 months in an institution. During that time we see more into there home life which isn't so bad until Emilys mum kills herself and Jacksons dad he leaves to die.

The dramatic part of the film is the ending, Jackson has plans to shoot up his school Emily not in agreement. Jackson couldn't go through with it at the gates and is caught and arrested. Dubbed the stronger of the two across the film will Emily finish of what Jackson had planned If you want something different this is for you even avid horror fans will enjoy this. Its a dark film more so in the content and issues, from high school shooting to a church paedophile ring exposed and cliché teenage drama, Its worth a watch or two nd should get a load more credit

Disturbing, violent

[vchimpanzee · 17 July 2017]

South Greenwich, Rhode Island was an industrial town, but most of the industry is gone. Emily lives in the nice section of town, but to get home, she must deal with bullies. The good news, for Emily at least, is that Tony, one of the bullies, dies in a horrible incident involving his mother's cheating on her husband, which results in several deaths. And getting back to Emily, you have to wonder how she can live in such a nice house, since her mother mainly lies in bed and drinks or thinks about how to improve her appearance. Later it is revealed that her father isn't around much, so somehow he is paying for everything.

Emily narrates the movie, and we soon learn how Emily and Jackson became friends. Jackson moved to town with his family, although I'm not quite clear on why. I thought it was job-related and maybe it was. The important thing is that Jackson is the new weird kid at school. Emily also being a weird kid, she makes friends with Jackson. But we don't see much of their early years. We keep going back and forth from the past to the present, and then we don't see the early years of Emily and Jackson any more, until a flashback. The flashback involves their visit to the grave of Mercy Brown, a girl who went through a horrific experience nearly 100 years earlier and even after her death, her body is defiled. It's not pleasant. This is where the movie's title comes from.

What we know in the present, almost from the movie's start, is that there has been a massacre, and the news media are speculating about how such a thing could have happened.

We jump forward in time. Emily is a brooding teenager reading Sylvia Plath and "The Road". Jackson is on the football team but is still being treated like an outcast. And he has to come home and help take care of his paralyzed father who is angry with the world and drinks, smokes and does other stuff you'd rather not know about in his wheelchair, and having seizures or whatever you call it. And Jackson's getting quite tired of all of it. The coach is trying to help Emily straighten out her life, but she doesn't seem too interested.

Then both Jackson and Emily each have their own terrible experience that changes everything. For Jackson, it means the end of school. For Emily, it means the start of a struggle with drugs and alcohol which leads to an incident in which the principal considers his precious football players more important than Emily.

You think you will know what is going to happen. Most likely, you will be wrong.

I hope I have established by now that this is not appropriate for family viewing. In fact, it is about as far from appropriate for the whole family as you can get on broadcast TV. I can only describe what I saw, but I have reason to believe I didn't see everything. The sound went out a lot, and when this happened while we saw a character talking, the character's mouth was blurred. This happened a lot with Emily. She had a mouth on her.

But that's not the worst thing. You can clean up language. I think some of the violence may have been cleaned up too. Two characters listed in the credits were not shown, or at least I didn't see faces. I could see at least one body. And lots of blood. In another scene there was a curious edit that made it obvious the violence had been cut. Other violence I saw was only implied but it was still quite disturbing. And the aftermath in several scenes was also quite graphic.

If I haven't said enough, one couple (the man is married but not to the woman) is into S & M. Why in the world was there not an S in the V- chip rating? We already saw way too much violence and I don't think this counts as violence.

Oh, yes, and let's not forget the men who are into child porn. This is only suggested, but we know it's happening.

A few scenes had music. One scene had good classical music, though that was kind of depressing even if it was upbeat. A couple of other scenes had pleasant music. Several others had depressing folk music which was at least soft. But throughout most of the movie, "music" was the often loud garbage that people who wear all black enjoy (is that the right word? They hate everything).

Okay, now for the positives. There aren't nearly enough of these scenes but Emily and Jackson have a generally pleasant relationship. I like the scenes where they are just being friends. I mentioned the coach trying to help Emily, and that's a good scene too, with a good performance by the actor Kane Hodder.

The suspense builds as the movie progresses. You know what's going to happen, or believe you do, and it gets exciting.

And if I try to think of what is positive about the movie, Danielle Guldin's superior performance comes to mind. No, there's a lot negative about what she is going through and doing. But she's a pleasure to watch anyway.

Do I recommend this movie? If you like seeing villains get what's coming to them in the most graphic way possible, perhaps.

This is NOT a HORROR MOVIE.

[wandernn1-81-683274 · 6/10 · 1 June 2020]

LOL +1 Star for the Lovely Opening Sequence of the Movie! There's nothing like a good elimination of assh%$s.

-1 Star we're at about the 2/3 point and I am bored.

Okay it got more interesting!!!

+1 Star for going just a little bit nuts!!!! :)

And after watching 2 movies the last couple days where people got shot and still managed to run around chasing each other and climbing mountains and whatnot, this is refreshing to see a bit more accurate depiction of what gunshots do to people.

Okay I was nonplussed about the ending. Could have been better

But this is NOT a horror movie. Not at all.

An interestingly told tale about a sociopath. Done pretty well. 6/10

Promising but poor overall

[jozh90 · 3/10 · 2 January 2016]

From the opening narration to the twee overacting, it was hard to take any message on board from this film. It felt like the film betrayed itself and went out of its way to provide gratuitous violence. I'm not personally against violence in films but it seemed badly used.

The characters became annoying caricatures as the film progressed and the protagonist was impossible to sympathise with far too early on. It seemed almost cartoon-ish in the worst possible way at the end.

I understood the idea and thought it had genuine promise. It was let down by the fact that the film neither subscribed to being a horror, a comedy or a character study. Almost Mercy was stuck in a no man's land. It was attempting to be a dark comedy but achieving none of the depth and execution of a dark comedy. It was incredibly hard to like the main characters in any way despite being the 'weird' kid once upon a time.

I felt almost insulted at times by the constant tropes, it seemed lazy and unoriginal. Which completely took away its value as a 'quirky' indie movie.

The music was often clashing with the film itself. It annoyed me multiple times. Whether it was supposed to be jarringly juxtaposed, I don't know, but I felt that many songs were poor choices.

As a positive, the female lead put in a decent performance and I could definitely see her advancing. The camera work was great and I liked a lot of the shots.

I would not recommend this film, unfortunately.

See Emily play.

[midnightmosesuk · 6/10 · 4 February 2023]

I've read the other reviews here and this film seems to be very polarising, there's a lot of people who don't like it but there's a lot who do. I can understand why, it's not what you'd call a straight forward horror film. It's more of a drama with horror elements.

The film is set in a relatively small town which, despite it's picture postcard looks, is rotten to the core. There are pedophiles, crooked cops, snarky teachers, high school bullies, unfaithful spouses and rapists. All in all it's a town full of a-holes. In this town, living very grim lives, are Emily and Jackson. They are subject to the very worst aspects of all of the above and, eventually, one of them snaps. And when they snap, they really go big time.

About the first two thirds of the film are fairly blood free, with a couple of notable exceptions. That doesn't mean they're horror free but, I guess, it depends on what you class as horror. The terrible treatment of the two main protagonists is actually quite horiffic. Emily is raped (off screen,) which is covered up by the police and the school principal. Jackson is also raped, at least that is heavily implied, by the Catholic Priest of the church where he serves as an alter boy. Their home lives are marred by parents who behave appallingly towards them both and school life is plagued by hostile teachers and bullies.

There's a bit of misdirection here, which I thought was quite clever. It's intimated that Jackson is going to carry out a school shooting, a very popular American pastime. He's certainly made out to be the crazier of the two. But, when the chips were down, he wimps out and then gets promptly arrested. And justifiably so. However, this seems to be the trigger that sets off Emily, and she proves to be far better at wholesale slaughter than Jackson.

When I say the blood begins to fly, it really does. Emily descends upon all the people who've treated them both so shoddily for so many years like an avenging angel. She slices and dices her way through them with her axe and pistol with such obvious enjoyment that it's almost infectious. Eventually she completes her revenge, saves Jackson, and then spends the rest of her life locked up in a facility where no one dares to upset her. It turns out she was crazy enough for both of them.

This film reminded me of some aspects of a few others. Heathers comes to mind, Donnie Darko and any number of films about high school bullying and politics. But, in other aspects, it entirely it's own thing. The voice over is fine, it doesn't get annoying and the actress portraying Emily does well in the part. Some have said on here that the violence is a part too light hearted and even cartoonish but, I'm my opinion, it's being portrayed through the unreliable eyes of Emily who is, undeniably, mad as a hatter. This is her point of view and she just thought all this slaughter was massive fun, of course it's going to seem a bit skewed. It did bring up some very serious topics like the effects of bullying, how badly rape victims are sometimes treated, the long term effects of abuse on a victim and the trauma they suffer. All very serious subjects.

Anyway, I enjoyed it more than average, so I scored it a 6/10. It's worth a watch. I would have scored in 6.5 but, well, things don't work that way 'round here.

Feels like a 15 year old outcasts fan fiction of a High School massacre

[WhoThrewThatMonkey · 3/10 · 30 August 2015]

"Childhood friends grow up together as outcasts. A bridge is crossed and individually they both decide that the messed up town they grew up in needs to be purged"

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think this movie is horrible or anything but it did seem like it thought it was better than it actually was.

Emily and Jackson grow up together in what actually does seem to be a messed up couple of lives. Jackson is the victim of molestation, physical bullying and unclean living environments. Emily lives in a pretty well off family but with a mother who is in a constant state of self medication, a father who is never there and a cast of should be mentors saying that she is underachieving and worth less than others.

Trying to explain the story more than that seems like it would hurt myself and confuse everyone. So, let's go over some of the other character and why you should hate them.

Pastor Johnson is a pedophile who is taking money from the church.

The coach, at first seems like a cool dude until you realize he is a pedo also but targets high school girls instead of young boys.

The principal is also a pedo but for high school boys plus he covers up a rape.

Emily's dad is never there and drives his wife to feel she is inadequate.

Then there are all of the class mates.

You have urine boy, bullies, preps, jocks, popular girls, etc. Just every class of person that would make your inner nerd and outcast wish for them to get killed. And that's it! This movie is a glorified day dream of what bullied youth sometimes wish they could do when faced with bullies and troubled childhoods.

Going to get into spoilers here but, it seems like Jackson is going to be the one to try to take revenge on everyone by plotting out a school shooting. He flakes out but gets caught for conspiracy of a mass murder rampage. Before he did so, he told Emily that he hid weapons in the woods. At this point, Emily goes gets the weapons and tracks down like 15 people and kills them. No joke! Pastor, Principal, 4 Students, Coach, another Student, her dad, her former teacher, several cops.

It ends with her giving money extorted by the pastor to Jackson so he can just leave and live a normal life while she is in an institution.

Stuff I didn't like are mainly the things like how they're seemingly trying to glorify and justify killings and school shootings. I 100% understand that some of the stuff that happened to them was horrible such as the molestation and rape. This is a good example of what those types of incidents can cause mentally and what they can lead to but the way the characters were portrayed and the happy go lucky feel the movie had was a turn off.

What this movie boils down to is a revenge plot but when the revenge occurs, it feels out of place. Emily's character who has been the one down to earth the whole movie begins making light of what she is doing. Taking selfies with the people she kills and just outrageous behavior. If the tone was more serious during this part, it would've made for a possibly compelling revenge aspect but they went for a more campy dark comedy feel that didn't execute well at all.

Should you watch it? Sure. It gives you an insight into some of the lives people have to live. It's not the worst two hours you can spend watching a movie. Just don't look for something too challenging. Better film making and a more serious tone near the end would have made for a decent film.

Almost Mercy is a revenge movie, with plenty of gore.

[doubtitall · 8/10 · 19 October 2016]

However, the protagonist, Emily, expresses deep disgust at the idea of mass murdering people whose 'crime' was simply having failed to protect her and Jackson. The movie does the opposite of glorifying that kind of self-indulgent, egotistical viciousness.

The second time the movie flashes back to the when Emily and Jackson first met as children shows an additional bit that brings the nature of the basis of their relationship into sharp focus while also showing the cold reality about Emily. Watch for it. If you understand that, you'll get the movie.

The ending was also good.

I agree with those who say Almost Mercy is a dark comedy, but don't expect any laughs.

Visuals

[payasoingenioso · 6/10 · 27 January 2021]

The rating is mainly for the visuals. They are solid throughout the film.

The film is a drama. Not comedy. Very lite thriller. Some horror. Mostly, a dramatic story.

Also, each victim of the slashing portion each had a reason to be slashed.

Absolute Garbage.

[solbro-32877 · 1/10 · 8 August 2015]

This is one of the most hateful movies I have ever seen, and exemplifies why people can't ever seem to meet in the middle on issues anymore. It is yet another 'artistic' movie in an overdone genre.."angry liberal kids hate everyone around them, and display their heroism by murdering everyone they disagree with". If there is a cliché about people with a conservative mindset, expect to see it here, amplified by 100. Any character that is of a conservative inclination, or what would otherwise be considered to be "successful", or "cool", should be expected to be portrayed in the most base, straw-man-argument-friendly caricature possible. The priest is the leader of a child porn ring and stealing money (of course *eye roll*..haven't seen THAT hateful portrayal before), another character they hate is of course a lover of boy porn, another is a grown man that can't wait for the chance to sleep with underage teens (one of which he's "been working on since she was 6" *another eye roll*). The teens they have deemed deserve to die, of course are all attractive (attractive people should all die!!) and spend their Saturday nights having orgies in a trailer. Oh yeah, and don't forget the guy who is wearing lady makeup and being smacked by a dominatrix when the "hero" comes in to serve justice to him. Have we covered every possible cliché of a character being depraved yet?

I just want to know if film makers like this genuinely think they're being "deep". Must be easy to get your point across when you can propagandize those you disagree with in the most disgusting manners possible. This is yet another movie for "We hate what America is about. We don't fit in. We hate the idea of anyone succeeding over someone else. We hate religious people also. Why can't all of those things just roll over and die a bloody death, so we who smoke pot and want to be layabouts can go on being layabouts?" I don't imagine a movie heroizing someone who hates pot smokers/lazy people/outcasts and decides the only solution is to MURDER them / plot a school shooting would make it out of the cutting room. So how does such hateful, irresponsibly biased nonsense like THIS make it out?

"We should burn this church down." That's nice. Don't agree with religion? Ah, let's burn them down, and put an ax in the priest later. "I'm having trouble in school." Well, guess a school shooting is a sympathetic choice then. Coach actually want you to participate in gym class? Ehhh, shoot him to death, he deserves to die. Oh no, we shouldn't see that as extreme at all, because remember, that coach is ALSO a sleezebag underage-kid-sleeper- with'er. See how we got you to sympathize with murdering that person now? (clever wink)

In a time when school shootings are a frequent occurrence, let's make a movie that says "You know what? If life is tough, you are fully entitled to take everyone down with you in a hail of bullets." Why not? Don't bother trying to lift yourself up, just kill 'em. Don't even bother accepting "Eh, I'm a lil' weird, it is what it is" (something which personally I have done. I wasn't the cool kid, a lil quiet. I accepted it, and learned to embrace it)...no, don't do that. Kill the 'different ones'!

This movie might as well have been written by a violently angry child with a pen. If you have political views, subtlety is an art...of which there was none in this movie. Crass, violent, and hateful of those of differing viewpoints / lifestyles, can sum up this irresponsible garbage. I'm so tired of "artists", spending more time building biased misrepresentative straw-men of the people they disagree with, than creating valid discussions that acknowledge there *gasp!*, might be an actual reason other people think differently.

A simplistic horror film over all!

[InDyingArms · 8/10 · 5 July 2015]

Many horror films we movie goers watch nowadays fall flat from being near simplistic, or good. Surprisingly, "Almost Mercy" manages to display a solid, good horror film! First off, the execution of this film. The execution of this horror film was quite unique. It manages to display it's execution in the form of perhaps a drama film. The movie introduces a charming narration from certain characters of the movie, instead of simple convocations, and boring chatter. It adds some neat charm of which sticks out through out the entire film, making it quite enjoyable! Toward the end of the movie, which of course won't be spoiled, the movie takes on more elements on it's execution of which stands out to be unique, and entertaining to watch. The movie, along with that, also adds in an intriguing twist, once again ending up to be very entertaining, and extremely enjoyable.

Next, the characters of the movie. Once again. The movie takes on this neat, unique tactic. Most horror films usually use recycled, clichéd characters, which can get quite tiring after a while. Luckily, the film surprisingly delivers some neat characters only seen in a rare collection of horror films in the past. Either way, the characters in this movie were interesting, showing unique personality, executions, etc. As said before, the movie delivers a character narration, of which ties in here. I felt as if the narration - like take on this horror film was necessary to say the least. The audience gets a full on view of what the characters are thinking, the audience also gets to experience how the characters will react, of which pays off as entertaining. Overall, the characters ranging from execution, to thought, and action was solid, and entertaining!

Finally for the making of this film; the foundation, the plot. The plot felt new, and fresh. Something horror fans like myself have probably only seen once, or twice. For the genre, of course, the movie takes an interesting little take, of which, once again manages to pay off, giving the audience an interesting taste of the movies creativity, and style. Also, the plot has a nice tie in with most of the movies twists, and story executions, something of which means a big deal for audiences of which would like to become in depth with the film.

Overall, this movie was charming, and fresh. It delivered many unique, simplistic details, as well as executions. The movie was great from start, to ending, successfully avoiding many clichés of which mostly upset horror genre fans. I'd recommend this to any horror fan looking for a solid, depth film that'll be sure to entertain!

To call this mess abysmal would mean having to redefine the word.

[womper-90921 · 1/10 · 23 July 2017]

This is one of those massive wastes of time and space that almost has to be seen to grasp how wretched it is. Almost. Because if you do see it, you wont "almost" be crying for mercy.

Right from the opening scenes, I knew this one was in dire straits. Here we have yet another teen film about the "dark" kids, the misfits who cant relate to anything in the world around them, and don't really seem interested in making an effort to do so.

But what we mostly have is a convoluted, manic pile of excess that tries much too hard to be cool, to be edgy, even to be unimpressed with itself, because, well, its so ultra hip to be jaded about life by the time you're 15, you know? All life, every aspect of it, it seems.

Where it does somewhat succeed in its nonstop over the top is to be profane and offensive toward just about every facet of adult society {we really are all evil - its a plot to destroy the life of every living, breathing teen. We've been outed}. Somewhat. Even here, it isn't really nearly as effective as it craves to be. There's also that predictable path of raging to be original by giving us every high school stereotype these types of films have given us four hundred times before. All in the only manner it knows how: relentless bizarre histrionics.

Its a rare day when I will rate anything a 1. Most movies have something to redeem them, somewhere. This unintentional disaster flick gets a 1 only because there isn't a negative 6 given as an option. Totally void of substance? More than you would ever think possible. Not to mention joy, hope, and entertainment. A horror flick only in the aspect that you should scream in horror and run like the wind if anyone attempts to force you to sit through it. Now to try to get those two hours back ...

A type of natural born killers film

[epiceffectss · 5/10 · 4 August 2015]

Two misfits come out of school wanting a bloodbath of revenge from those who had wronged them. And good god do they do it. This film isn't my idea of horror , it's more a natural born killers type of sick film. Acting and shooting is good, looks a bit grainy and eighties. They are from a small town in àmerica , and it's a slow town , nothing much to do. Just a load of degenerates surround them , thy have the odd idea that they are morally superior which in turn leads to their sick revenge. This is mostly led out by the girl, she has a thirst for blood and murder is in her natural instinct. We watch lots of victims die under her claw hammer, they drop one by one. She is unstoppable. The film employs her talking veer it in narrative form , in a quirky humorous way , I'm not sure that's entirely suitable because she is wrong for doing what she does. I found it a little unsettling because it was slightly humorous for the first half before the revenge killings begin for the second half. It's a good well made film and worth a watch , I would not put it in a horror genre because its not graphic enough nor does it have any supernatural stuff , I would most closely align it with the whole school killings phenomena or with natural born killers , only looking a little eighties and a little quirky.

Amber Howard's version of events...

[donttouchmeprimate · 5/10 · 9 July 2022]

Too many red flags and plot point moments that are waves off as "I don't know, I wasn't paying attention".

But when little changes in character or expected story occur, of course she rememberes the details.

So much potential, just so badly exocuted.

surprisingly good

[moviemagic99 · 10/10 · 20 June 2015]

Almost Mercy was much better than I expected for a lower budget Indy Horror flick. There was your traditional slasher stuff and also with an overlying message that that is very timely. Almost Mercy is not afraid to take on a variety of meaty issues that are all too common for adolescents in this day and age...some of the horror veterans (Bill Moseley and Kane Hodder!!) are nice surprises as well. The lead actress - Danielle Guldin - keeps the beat during the entire movie. I have seen other films form the director Tom DeNucci & Woodhaven and this is a real step up from their previous work as this company matures so does their work. I enjoyed it very much...

Pick a genre

[dar0417 · 5/10 · 13 January 2020]

This film had an issue being a horror film, comedy or drama. It has all the elements with a ton a blood and killing.

A Beautiful Character Piece of Troubled Teens

[tub49465 · 8/10 · 31 October 2015]

I've seen more than my fair share of films, and I can honestly say this is one of those few sleepers that left an impression. In my opinion I would not have classified this as a horror film, but rather a dark comedy/drama. From the beginning of the film, to the end, it moves at exactly the right pace. It draws you in with a well written story and still delivers the shocks. It develops the characters so well that you can imagine (to a degree) yourself in their shoes.

The story involves two small town teens who are labeled as "outcasts", and from there they develop a unique friendship over the years. Both being raised in their own version of hell, they are shaped by the small minded people living around them. Being pushed to their limits, and having an everlasting loyal friendship, they set out to take revenge and have each other's back.

This film has so many great and memorable scenes, and was edited perfectly (in my opinion). I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this film for anyone who enjoys something a little over the top, with some outlandish scenes to drive it home. I can safely say I will be seeing this film again in the near future. Hope you enjoy!!

for the twisted

[undeadsilencer · 10/10 · 1 September 2015]

This movie is not really a horror movie so much as a black comedy. It is meant for people (like me) who have a dark or morbid sense of humour. It has a lot of things that make it suspenseful, but not scary per say. I recommend it for people who like movies that outright explain themselves in a humorous way and can appreciate something morbid. It has a good crew of actors which make you feel like you can personally feel the emotions that their feeling. Also as previously stated the crew of cameramen were sensational. they gave good angles that kept you at the edge of your seat. they also did a sensational job of showing emotion and feeling, what with the lighting and everything they had without changing what it would look in real life. Finally i want to point my feelings toward the director. The way that he weaved the story with narration and background was impressive. He made it look as it should look, a dark and screwed up town. At the same time i would also like to point out that this movie is not for the faint of heart and not for people who are critical about matters regarding drugs, religion or guns.

Fantastically unique film that's DEFINITELY worth a watch

[TheScaryMovieGirl · 10/10 · 12 August 2015]

I really didn't expect much when I found this movie on Netflix. Usually when I see a horror movie with names more recognizable than the title, I get concerned. However, I was pleasantly surprised.

You go on this dark ride with two misfit kids as they grow up in Nowheresville, USA. Bill Moseley (from House of 1,000 Corpses and Devil's Rejects) and Kane Hodder both play their parts just as well as expected, but I have to say the two stars really shone brightly and seemed to take their roles seriously. Without spoiling anything, it was wonderful to see such a strong female lead who kept her clothes on and stayed interesting.

If you're a fan of horror, I think you'll have the stomach to handle some of the darker elements of the film, but understand that what you're going into is more like a dark, dark, drama that just has more than its fair share of blood. The visuals are striking, and some of the scenes are designed to make the viewer uneasy, but instead of gore, they mostly use psychological elements to make you cringe.

The soundtrack fit the mood perfectly, and really added to the ambiance of the film.

I went in to this film looking for something to kill some time, and what I ended up getting is a new favorite. I've recommended it to all of my friends, and now I'm recommending it to you. If you're looking for something different, you've found your film.

This is a very fun film that's definitely worth your time

[kevin_robbins · 8/10 · 26 April 2022]

Almost Mercy (2015) is a movie I recently watched on Prime. The storyline follows two teenagers that are outsiders with only themselves as friends. As various buttons are pushed the young man explodes and is expelled from school. The two teenagers work together so he can gain his revenge on those responsible for him getting expelled.

This movie is directed by Tom DeNucci (Army of the Damned) and stars Bill Moseley (House of 1000 Corpses), Kane Hodder (Hatchet), Danielle Guldin (Gotham) and David Gere (Army of the Damned).

This cast is awesome. Mosley as a pastor and Kane Hodder as the gym teacher was hilarious. The history of Mercy is very well presented. This movie has nice coming of age and friendship elements then takes off like a bullet the last 25 minutes. There's an ax to the face scene that's excellent and some great blood splatter. There's also a legendary bondage scenes that's worth a viewing.

Overall this is a very fun film that's definitely worth your time. I would score this a strong 7.5/10 and strongly recommend it.

FRIENDS OF MERCY BROWN

[nogodnomasters · 8/10 · 24 October 2018]

The film is narrated in first person by Emily (Danielle Guldin) the main character. She spends her life being bullied and picked on in a small New England town. When new guy Jackson (Jesse Dufault) moves into to town, he too is a victim. The two form a bond as victims. As they get older...well it isn't hard to guess from the cover and title.

There was much cliche about the film, but what it made it enjoyable was Emily's view of life and circumstances. Her quirky character made the film. I enjoyed the cast of characters.

Good dark comedy.

Guide: F-bomb, sex, off screen rape. No nudity.

Tarantino Meets Clueless

[vj083 · 8/10 · 12 August 2015]

If you are expecting this to be your typical horror film, then turn away because you will be greatly disappointed. Without spoiling anything, this movie is simply a revenge movie. The movie is narrated through the view point of the main character Emily. Starting from her childhood to her adult years telling the story of her and her best friend Jackson.

The best way to describe this movie is imagine if director Quentin Tarantino rebooted the movie Clueless and turned it into a revenge movie you get this film. There is a lot of blood in this movie and a lot of narration.

Netflix listed this film in their Horror genre, but this movie was far from it. Despite this fact I did enjoy it. If you like movies like Trainspotting, you will probably enjoy this movie.

YES..!... Enjoyable!.. An Entertaining Ride!

[james-66-170296 · 10/10 · 23 June 2015]

Something for every horror fan. To me a great horror film is one that I have to divert my eyes at least once...this film has done it. A film with a solid story. A film with solid characters. A film with a soundtrack that allows your mind to be hypnotized into the world where these characters dwell. Thoughtful cinematography. Panning shots that bring the viewer into the movie and into the psyche of the characters. Casting the young actors who play the characters young Emily (Eva Senerchia) and young Jackson (Jhonah Coppolelli) was outstanding. This film deals with real world issues from social to mental. Could there be a sequel...? YES...I hope!

Big surprise.....totally loved it !

[andrewcollins-86653 · 9/10 · 1 December 2021]

Very entertaining watch, never sure where it was going but enjoyed every minute.....two main characters were excellent.

Kind of movie a teenage Tarantino would of dreamt up, ultimately of the revenge genre, highly recommended for a late night watch !