Director: Victor Cooper

Starring: Kristen Wright

The word “crazy” nearly always shows up in association with “serial killer”. Still, many of us don’t really stop to think about what that word really means. The first film from Silhouette Pictures, Mercy takes twenty minutes to delve into this definition by exploring what goes on in the mind of a serial killer –who most definitely is crazy.

Kristen Wright stars as the title character, a serial killer who calls herself Mercy, because she murders people who want to die. Every time she kills, Mercy’s trademark is to paint a picture with the victim’s blood. Wright makes a terrifying serial killer, with her cold stare and eerily measured voice. Even more jarring is the narration that Mercy provides, which attempts to persuade the viewer to see her kills in the way that she does – as good deeds. Mercy piques the interest from the moment it begins, and the more that’s revealed about the killer, the more interested the audience becomes.

There are graphic images in the film, but the gore doesn’t look too realistic. Fortunately, it’s passable in serving its purpose, as the film isn’t aiming to sicken people with fake blood. Instead, it seeks to shock the audience at the calm insanity that Mercy shows as she kills. With an incredible leading lady, a fascinating premise, and a message that’s delivered to the audience with precision, Mercy is not a film to miss.