Mercy Black (2019) - The Better Slenderman Movie

Ten minutes into Mercy Black (2019), I was googling whether or not it was based on the infamous Slenderman Stabbing and was unsurprised to find that it was.

The premise, at least, adds a little interest to this idea – fifteen years after an incident where she injured her classmate with another little girl, Marina (Daniella Pineda) returns to her hometown and is haunted by the very reason she committed the crime in the first place: an urban legend.

It’s similarity to the very real Slenderman Stabbing made me a little bit uneasy about this movie. Thankfully, the victim of that case did survive, but after a great and lifechanging trauma. Is it fair to use it as inspiration for a horror movie? Real crimes have been used as inspiration before – serial killer Ed Gein’s inspired a myriad of Hollywood Horror villains. This case feels slightly different. A child was the victim – a child still living – and the film presents a watered-down version of events. That makes it feel slightly uncomfortable. At first, this doesn’t seem like the case. Marina’s flashbacks suggest a much darker narrative to what actually happened. When the reveal finally comes, there’s a feeling of ‘is that all?’ It sounds awful, but losing a finger is a far cry from 19 stab wounds.

However, the films twist of just who was in control of that narrative – of who was ‘to blame’ in the crime is at least interesting. The reveal is kept close to the movie’s chest and makes for an interesting overall narrative that changes the way the events are framed drastically.

Again, though, when lined up with real life events – does this seem tactless?

Although – this is inspired by the case. It is not the case. There’s a difference in that and the people to answer that question would be the people involved with the original case. So I’ll move on from that question, because I don’t think I can answer it.

This film does a much better job of handling urban legends than the actual Slenderman film. The internet forums and legend fanatic, Will (Austin Amelio), capture the impact Creepypasta has on society. Not everyone just knows about it – but there are people who do and who are deeply involved in the lore. Whilst Mercy Black herself is something of an unclear character (what is she after, what will she do), this fits into that idea – urban legends often have differing details and the threat is left up to imagination. (What does Slenderman do when he catches you?)

And Will is a character you love to hate. He is just unlikeable in every way, and is a great tool to get you onto Marina’s side. He falls perfectly into ‘the asshole is the first one to die,’ stereotype, and leaves you glad that he does.

Marina herself is a decent protagonist. It’s understandable why she doesn’t believe her past, and the way that she’s moved on from it feels organic. I’m not sure about the moral of the movie being ‘embrace your past,’ because acknowledging that you were not who you were as a child seems just as important. If not, it’s a more important message than believe in the things you did as a child, because it would directly juxtapose the true antagonist of the movie. However, she’s not horribly dislikeable and she is fairly complex, which is a change of pace for the horror genre.

The question of what’s real and what’s imaginary is an interesting theme and the ambiguity of that is the strongest element of the film. Is Marina haunted by her past? Does Bryce (Miles Emmon) have an overactive imagination just like her? These questions drove the film onwards and kept me invested. The truth of where Mercy Black came from versus the power an urban legend has – if belief makes something all the more real – makes this a solid psychological/supernatural horror. It’s similar to A Nightmare on Elm Street in that way and deserves a lot more attention than it got.

Bryce, however, is the weaker protagonist. It’s nothing against the actor, it’s more that we don’t get a good enough idea of who he is before he becomes obsessed with the legend. There’s a change of behaviour, clearly, but I personally didn’t feel invested enough to worry about his fate. And really, the ending leaves something to be desired. The cliff-hanger is fun but just a little more wrap up of the consequences of Bryce’s actions – if history is repeating itself – would push the film that extra bit.

Overall, Mercy Black is a scary phantom. The story is competent and the characters feel as believable as horror characters can. It is, in my opinion, worth checking out, if you can put aside the grim reality of its inspiration.