I’ve been watching a lot of horror movies with creepy kids, so it was high time for a change and watch some creepy old people.  Mercy (2014) was something I had added to my Netflix queue because Chandler Riggs, who plays Carl on The Walking Dead, was in it.  I didn’t realize this was based on a Stephen King short story (“Gramma”) or that Mark Duplass (who was also super creepy in the movie Creep) and Dylan McDermott (from American Horror Story) and Frances O’Connor (from Conjuring 2) were among the cast.  Sounds like a recipe for a great horror movie!

Well, it wasn’t the most coherent thing I’ve ever seen, more interested in jump scares than fleshing out the story of a grandmother who apparently made a deal with the devil to have kids.  Is it dementia, or is there something else wrong with Gramma?  Chandler Riggs has a few badass moments, although he doesn’t seem to have any reaction to the half-dead-looking ghost girl following him around.

Hey, at least it was short.

Recommendations time!

• Creep (2014) – Rather than a brief part as an uncle who has a very different take on ol’ Gramma, here Mark Duplass gets the title role, and trust me, he’s good.
• The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014) – Is Deborah suffering from dementia, or is she possessed?  Strangely effective and a little less over-the-top than the next on my list.
• The Visit (2015) – The kids (one an aspiring filmmaker) head off to visit Grammy and Pop-pop, but quickly grow concerned about their grandparents’ strange habits, like crawling around in the middle of the night.  It’s super creepy to see elderly people moving around like they do, and the twist is pretty good too.