Killer Mermaid – Review
By Lynn Sorel
Rating: 7 out of 10
Synopsis: Two young American women go on a Mediterranean vacation and uncover the watery lair of a killer mermaid hidden beneath an abandoned military fortress. What was once a carefree adventure becomes a deadly fight for survival.
Our Thoughts: ‘Killer Mermaid’, also known as ‘Nymph’, is the creature feature I’ve been waiting for. As a fan of both horror and mermaids I’ve been wanting to see them put together in an effective way for a long time, and this film from director Milan Todorovic (Zone of the Dead), which is the first ever Serbian creature feature, gave me exactly what I wanted to see. The film is billed as a mix of ‘Splash’ and ‘I know What You Did Last Summer’ but don’t let that fool you, it is far better than either of those films.
The film starts off with a mysterious murder, but slows a bit in order to set up the story, which is more complex than you would think for this type of film. A dangerous Nymph, along with a menacing fisherman, someone killing tourists with an anchor, and a mysterious abandoned island, become a death trap for two American women on vacation. Foolishly Kelly, Lucy and their friends do exactly what they are warned against by the creepy stranger Niko, as often happens in horror. There is a considerable amount of mystery and suspense that make the film more than your typical creature feature. There’s also a good amount of character development you don’t often seen in this type of film.
The best part of the film comes when we finally see the mermaid. The special effects are decent, however I would have liked to have seen the mermaid done with practical effects, rather than digital. However the digital used in the film are better than I’ve seen in most low budget horror. The mermaid is both seductive and terrifying, a dream come true and your worst nightmare. They leave the film open for a sequel at the end and I honestly hope they do another film.
Overall it actually a lot better than I expected it to be for a film called ‘Killer Mermaid’. I really liked the fact that they didn’t just throw a mermaid into a horror movie either, they pulled from the real mythology for the story. Well known Italian actor Franco Nero (Django Unchained, Die Hard 2) was excellent as desperate Niko. Zorana Kostic Obradovic who played Scylla the Nymph was great in her emotional portrayal of the mermaid, despite not having a speaking role. Kristina Klebe and Natalie Burn were also very good as clueless travelers Kelly and Lucy. The film has cross genre appeal, with a mixture of fantasy, mystery, drama and horror. Anyone who loves mermaid mythology or creature features will want to check out ‘Killer Mermaid’. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.
