As the film starts out, we are introduced to a couple on vacation. Pictures of beautiful places and video of their antics create a picture of their love. As the credits finish and we enter the film proper, we find the couple on a dock. The girl, Ana (Jelena Rakocevic) takes off her top (as one does in public) and prepares to seduce her man, Sergej (Janko Cekic). As he looks out on the water, Sergej hears singing that mesmerizes him. Before long, he is hypnotized and dives into the water. Ana screams for help because she cant swim. Someone shows up, but not to help. The stranger swings an anchor, embedding it into Anas neck, silencing her screams. So much for the opening couple.
Cut to Kristina Klebe. Kristina is Kelly is young writer on vacation. Having suffered a water based tragedy as a child, she is not the most fun to be around when it comes to the sea. She and her BFF Lucy (Natalie Burn) are visiting an old friend in the Mediterranean. Alex (Slobodan Stefanovic) has a new girlfriend named Yasmin (Sofija Rajovic) that he may or may not be engaged to. Past romances flair up and things get a bit awkward. Nothing out of the ordinary. That is until Boban (Dragan Micanovic) shows up. Sort of a player, Boban immediately sets his sights on the visiting women and makes his play. There is an old military stronghold on a small neighboring island and he wants to take them all there for the day. It seems harmless except for one small problem, it is home to a flesh eating mermaid and her human slave. Plot wise, thats pretty much it. It is a simple story and set up. Not a bad thing in this case.
Its nice to see regular adults in peril on vacation, not a bunch of kids on spring break. The group is also refreshing because they have real personalities, no stereotypes among the men (i.e. The Jerk, The Clown, etc.) The film is of course helped by strong performances by Kristina Klebe and Franco Nero, who plays an old sailor with a past connected to the mermaid.
If the film falters in any way, it is in the staging of the action sequences. The fight/kill sequences are disjointed and hurt the scenes they are trying to punctuate. Its hard to tell if it is a lack of good footage or bad editing, but regardless, it impacts the film. All in all though, the film is entertaining and shouldnt be overlooked because of a few bad choices.
With so little really explored in the mermaid arena, Killer Mermaid is a welcome film. Solid characters and grand locations definitely add to the scope of the film and create a world in which these creatures can exist. I recommend following the sirens song on this one. Maybe not forever, but 90 minutes should do the trick.
