Director: Nicholas Humphries
Writer: Bob Woolsey, Meagan Hotz (Screenplay) Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin, Bob Woolsey, Lindsey Mann (Story)
Starring: Iwan Rheon, Katelyn Mager, Brandan Taylor, Jessie Fraser, Steve Bradley, Barbara Wallace, Trevor Gemma
Plot: The film is set during the 1930s depression and tells of young Charlotte, who is struggling to keep the family business afloat. When gangster Randall offers to pay off the family debt – he demands some illegal changes to the business. But Charlotte, like her mother before her, is a mermaid capable of controlling humans with nothing but her voice, which creates a battle between all of those who want Charlotte’s magical powers for themselves.
Tagline – Her story begins when the fairy tale ends.
Runtime: 1 Hour 28 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Mermaid’s Haven’t Been This Scary Since Cabin in the Woods
Story: Mermaid’s Song starts in 30s depression era America, Charlotte’s (Mager) father George (Taylor) takes over the family business after her mother’s death, he is strict with how he controls the business and must turn to gangster Randall (Rheon) to help keep the business afloat.
Charlotte wanting to become part of the show with her fellow sisters is forced to watch from a side until she learns just what she is capable off being a mermaid and having the ability to control men.
Thoughts on Mermaid’s Song
Characters – Randall is the local gangster, he helps clubs out for his own profit forcing businesses to run the way he wants them to be run, he uses this technique to take control of this family business and if he doesn’t get his money, he will find ways to take it. Charlotte is the youngster of the sisters in the business, she wants to be part of the show, however she keeps getting held back by her father and sisters. She does have a secret that she must come to terms with as she can become a mermaid, giving her power over the men in the business. George is the struggling businessman trying to keep his business a float, he makes a deal with Randal putting his daughter’s through the experiences they shouldn’t need to go through. We also get the remaining sisters who perform the show nightly and Randall’s goons that make sure he gets the money he wants.
Performances – Iwan Rheon is good in the gangster role, we are now used to seeing him play the twisted characters and while softer than normal. Katelyn Mager gives us an innocent performance which is needed for this film ad she handles it wonderfully throughout. When we look at the rest of the cast, they are good with Brendan Taylor making for desperate businessman work well.
Story – The story follows a struggling businessman that falls into working for a gangster to make ends meet only to learn this isn’t a smart idea when his youngster daughter becomes the one the gangster is most interested in. This does show us how difficult the depression was on America and how people will turn to any means to survive. We do get to look at a fantasy tale of a mermaid and the sailor that found her which plays as part fairy tale for Charlotte to be taught growing up. The two ideas do mix well together and brings the fantasy element to the struggles of the depression era.
Fantasy/Horror – The fantasy comes from the tale about mermaids and where they could have come from. The horror is saved for the later stages of the film and it is worth the wait.
Settings – The film shows us one business for the settings, we remain in this location for the whole film as we see how the family operates in this location.
Special Effects – The effects are saved for the big reveal to what the mermaid will look like, this is good for the film as it is worth the wait.
Scene of the Movie – The mermaid reveal.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The song does get repetitive.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting fantasy horror movie, we get to see mermaid in the darker light than the Disney version most people know.
Overall: Dark and delicious mermaid horror.
Rating
