Mercy Christmas - Scary Holiday Fun

It's December 26th.  Are you kind of depressed Christmas is over? Do you want to watch a few holiday themed movies before the year is out? Want to scare yourself a bit too? Maybe cheer for a character fighting for his or her life?   Good news! "Mercy Christmas" (2017) has you covered!

"Mercy Christmas" isn't the type of horror I usually go for and during the first few minutes I thought I might switch over to something else.  I decided to give it a bit more of a chance,  however, and I'm glad I did.  

At first the acting by Cole Gleason and Steven Hubbell kind of put me off.  Their characterizations were very two dimensional, but I perservered to the next scene and everything changed.  Those two dimensional characters were intended.  A set-up for a formulaic film that jumps the tracks just often enough to surprise you here and there.  Just when you think  you know what you're watching they do something unexpected.

As the movie progresses everyone's characters come into focus.  Hubbell's performance becomes more nuanced and believable and we realize that part of his "off" acting was actually the characterization of a man who is rarely himself in front of other people.

The movie will leave some viewers cold because it shifts between comedy and horror quite frequently and occasionally abruptly.  Some people  insist that their horror be pure.  Only scary, suspenseful and bloody with no humorous moments.  Those people have never been in a terrifying situation with me.  There is humor in most situations.  Sometimes we don't see it for years, until the adrenaline dies down and we can stop being scared or sad.  But the humor is there.  When humor breaks horror, it's a relief.  When horror breaks humor it's a shock.  Really, these are two things that compliment each other well.

This movie also takes the viewer through some bizarre turns and down a few paths that lead nowhere.  Some people hate that in a movie.  I'm guilty of doing it myself, so I can't really comment against it. ("Savaged" had a planned side story that takes place on a plane that our budget never allowed us to explore.) I think it works here and most of the plotlines come together or contribute in some way.

The last act is truly, truly, absolutely beyond bizarre.  There is far more humor here than the rest of the film, but it has its moments of suspense and plenty of violence.  By the end of the film I was ready to cheer.  A horror movie hasn't made me feel like that for a long time.  After watching it I just wanted to tell everyone what a great little movie this was.

I know that I USUALLY manage to find something positive to say about the indie films I watch and I'm not big on making fun of film's for their low budget shortcomings.  I leave the needling and such to other reviewers, but it's not terribly often that I see something I so definitely feel is a good film.
"Mercy Christmas" is one such movie.
Its strengths far outweigh any weak spots.  Highly recommended for anyone who can stomach it.