We are 11 days into our Awful Advent 25 Days of Christmas feature. Today we have a genuinely hilarious horror comedy for you. Mercy Christmas has flown under the radar a little bit, in my opinion. Released in 2017, it has been around for awhile 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.

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. Without further ado, let’s take a look.

Hilarious Comedy Horror

Mercy Christmas is a wicked Horror Comedy with some brutal violence. Focusing on a whiter than white, cannibalistic, family. It could best be described as Hallmark Xmas film meets The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. In my opinion, this film doesn’t get nearly enough love. In fact, as far as Christmas horror comedy goes, you will struggle to find better. I would almost go as far as to say that this is one of the funnier horror comedies altogether.

Mercy Christmas (2017) Horror Movie Review

It is hilarious, provoking some genuine laughter in a number of scenes while never taking itself too seriously. It has absolute buckets of gore and it also manages that rarest of accomplishments in actually feeling like a Christmas movie while still being a horror. When I say buckets of gore I am kind of understating it a bit. It is barbaric! Director Ryan Nelson is definitely not afraid to spill some mulled wine over the entire set; this actually feels like a proper horror movie. Too many films from this sub-genre are just comedy with horror tropes but not Mercy Christmas. It pulls no punches. Limbs are chopped off, people’s faces are caved in, someone is beaten to death with a rolling pin. Mercy Christmas has no mercy at all when it comes to shocking the viewer.

A Familiar Feeling

We have all seen those Hallmark or Lifetime Christmas movies before, right? They are doing the rounds everywhere at this time of year. In fact, the UK has a free channel that shows nothing but Hallmark Christmas movies for two straight months leading up to Christmas. You know the type of movie I am talking about. 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. For a few minutes there, you would think you have put on the wrong movie. Sure, some of the roles are reversed, but the feeling is unmistakable.

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

Mercy Christmas, as mentioned above, is a brutal movie. While garnishing its violent trappings with a dash of humour. Some of the scenes are actually quite shocking. We have brutal 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.

What’s more surprising is that it is genuinely hilarious in parts. 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. 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 saccharin 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.

Should You Watch Mercy Christmas?

So I have raved a fair bit about the movie. As I said before, I had a great time and I definitely think it is worth watching Mercy Christmas in the lead up to the big day. I thought it was hilarious and was caught off guard by how gory it is. With that being said, it may not be for everyone. This is low budget and the limited locations may leave a few people wanting more. Some aren’t going to enjoy just how slapstick it can be. There is a heavy focus on the comedy aspect and that is simply not for everyone.

For anyone else simply looking to have a great laugh around the Christmas season. There aren’t many better options than Mercy Christmas. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, has buckets of gore and tons of violence. Mercy Christmas is legitimately funny, as well, and features decent acting throughout. Check it out, you may love it. It’s a new annual Christmas watch for us, now.