Mercy Christmas (2017) Review – A Gore-Soaked Holiday Treat

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are reviewing Mercy Christmas (2017).

An underrated festive horror gem

This film has flown under the radar a little bit, in my opinion. Released in 2017, it has been around for a while but I have only heard it mentioned in passing. Nobody seems to have talked a great deal about what a fun Christmas movie this is.

“Mercy Christmas is funny, violent, and super gory. It also has buckets of Christmas charm. Playing on tropes of the perfect Christmas, family traditions and togetherness, Mercy Christmas places the holidays as a central theme rather than simply as a setting.”

Directed by Ryan Nelson, Mercy Christmas follows lonely office worker Michael Briskett (Steven Hubbell). Saddled with a bunch of work over the Christmas break, Briskett tries to cheer himself up by arranging a Christmas party for his fellow co-workers. The only problem is, nobody shows up. Nobody except office bombshell Cindy (Casey O’Keefe), that is. After realising that they have a lot in common, Cindy invites Michael to spend the next day with her. Little does he realise there will be more than just turkey on the menu.

Mercy Christmas is funny, violent, and super gory. It also has buckets of Christmas charm. Playing on tropes of the perfect Christmas, family traditions and togetherness, Mercy Christmas places the holidays as a central theme rather than simply as a setting. This is like a Lifetime movie gone rogue.

Hilarious comedy horror

Focusing on a whiter than white, cannibalistic family, Mercy Christmas could best be described as Hallmark Xmas film meets The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. You know the type of movie I am talking about, right? A hopeless woman works a menial job. She happens to fall in love with a rich dude who she serves in a café or something. He is an eligible bachelor who just so happens to be hopelessly lonely, as well. They spend Christmas together before falling in love and the only thing whiter than the snow is the family around the table.

Now, how many of you have watched one of those and thought “Hmm, imagine if this rich, handsome dude was a serial killer”? Well, that is pretty much exactly what Mercy Christmas does. It starts off exactly like a Hallmark Christmas movie. Everything from the camera work to the acting feels so familiar. Michael is the down on his luck protagonist. Andy is the smarmy, handsome business exec cracking wise and acting narcissistic. Cindy is the gorgeous secretary who just so happens to like her guys with a bit of extra meat.

“Focusing on a whiter than white, cannibalistic family, Mercy Christmas could best be described as Hallmark Xmas film meets The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.”

All of a sudden, it switches tone and you are watching people getting kidnapped, dinner guests being brutalised, and people being murdered. This is only a hint of what is to come, however. Without warning, we are back to the world of Lifetime Christmas movies. Michael is sharing a meal with the family, everyone is happy, Cindy is looking picture perfect, and everything seems right with the world. It is a mix of familiar genres that many of us are sure to pick up on straight away. I love it.

Surprisingly gruesome

What might surprise some is how brutal Mercy Christmas is. While garnishing its violent trappings with a dash of humour, some of the scenes are actually quite shocking. We have teeth grinding beat downs accompanied by mutilations, dismemberment, and merciless stabbings. This is a movie about cannibalism, after all. Human parts are served up in delectable dishes prepared by the family. Naturally the meat has to be fresh so victims are kept alive until serving time which leads to some genuinely horrific scenes.

Many horror comedies tend to avoid going too deep into the violence aspect. I can’t think of a huge amount that are even particularly gory. Comedy often comes at the cost of the horror element. That just isn’t the case with Mercy Christmas. It maintains its blood lust throughout and absolutely nobody is out of the firing line. Men, women, the old and infirm. Everybody here is a potential victim.

The setup works perfectly for creating a few early laughs but the later moments of the movie feature absurd visuals that are impossible not to find funny. I won’t spoil anything but Mercy Christmas subscribes to the idea that “sillier = better” and it works incredibly well.

Decent acting

Mercy Christmas features some excellent performances. This seems to be a relatively unknown cast with only small parts to their names. Casey O’Keefe is fantastic as Cindy. I loved her initial presentation as a typical Hallmark leading lady. Her role only expands as the movie goes on and she does great.

“Steven Hubbell, as Michael, is thoroughly likeable and easy to root for. He totally gets how to portray an unlikely hero in a cast that clearly bought into the madness of the script.”

Cole Gleason, as Andy, is fitting in his role. Playing the handsome business exec with a narcissistic personality, he wouldn’t feel out of place as the smarmy boss in a Christmas movie. Probably the most ruthless of the family, he will inspire a great deal of hate in the viewer. Exactly as a bad guy should.

David Ruprecht is brilliant as the head of the family, Abe. His saccharine joy at his family being together is hilarious. The hidden darkness of his character is occasionally hinted at, garnering Ruprecht a few laughs. The real stars of the show, however, are the victims. Whitney Nielson, as Katherine, has some genuinely decent, dramatic, emotional moments. It’s hard not to feel sad for her. D.J. Hale, as Eddie, is absolutely hilarious and puts his all into the character. His part in the final 20 minutes is side-splitting.

Steven Hubbell, as Michael, is thoroughly likeable and easy to root for. Again, his contribution is possibly the biggest; he totally gets how to portray an unlikely hero. It’s a great cast and they all, obviously, completely bought into the movie. They appear to be having a great time and all do a fantastic job.

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Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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