DVD Release
You know, when you think about it, Disney has gone out of its way to strip mine and homogenize the gruesome, violent fairy tales of yore. They totally took all the fun out of those wonderfully disgusting yarns. There’s no longer any eyes being plucked out or bellies being filled with stones…nope…just singing Jamaican lobsters and pleasantly plump mice. Children these days grow up on puppies and rainbows in comparison to the monstrous tales of mutilation, cannibalism and fiendish creatures that were forced upon the young, impressionable (and traumatized) minds of children in the early 1800’s.
Surprisingly, horror cinema hasn’t really taken to adapting fairy tales for the big screen. A few fairy tale-based horror flicks have seen the light of day but not as many as one would assume considering the wealth of grisly fables just begging to terrify a new generation of wee lads and lassies. I suppose if one tried hard enough one could “spot” the faintest traces of fairy tales in modern horror but there’s really no straight up fairy tale horror films out there. At least…not very many good ones. My personal “favorite” is Rumpelstiltskin. Super crappy and fun.
When I happened upon Little Erin Merryweather I was definitely intrigued by a Little Red Riding Hood inspired horror flick but also a bit wary. Two words…low budget. I really wasn’t expecting much expect poorly shot video, poorly written dialogue and poorly timed comedic sequences involving ugly horror fans cracking masturbation jokes. I figured, at the very least, I’d be treated to some gore and MAYBE a tit.
A small New England college is plagued by a vicious killer stalking young men on campus and leaving their mutilated bodies stuffed with rocks. Unable to generate any leads, police detective Joe Havey turns to college professor Dr. Paula Sheffield for some insight into the possible motives of the killer. Nobody seems to have any idea why these particular young men are being targeted but Joe is determined to find out who’s committing these crimes before more students wind up dead.
Meanwhile, Peter and his two college newspaper buddies are doing their own digging but their investigation nearly grinds to a halt when one of the three is murdered. Can the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood really have anything to do with the murderer and his motives or is Peter just grasping straws? Before anybody’s investigations can get too far though, Peter’s two newspaper buddies are sliced and diced and it appears Peter may end up the next on the killer’s “to do” list. Can Det. Joe, Dr. Paula and Peter flush out the killer and stop the murderous rampage before it’s too late?
The identity of the murderer is…Erin Merryweather. Sorry sorry, you’re probably pretty upset I just spoiled it but honestly…I didn’t. When you watch the film you’ll understand completely. For starters the film is named after one of its characters so it’s a fair bet SOMETHING is going to revolve around that particular character. Not only that but writer/director David Morwick never really keeps us guessing. One of my biggest problems with the film is the fact that right off the bat you’re shown Erin is unstable and obsessed with Little Red Riding Hood. The very few red herrings thrown in only work for a moment before Morwick brushes them aside to continue showing viewers Erin is the person we should be keeping an eye on. Not very subtle.
Now, aside from the mystery being ripped from underneath us, I gotta tell ya that I really did like Little Erin Merryweather. There were some “out there” moments that felt like a major stretch (like Peter and his friend’s investigation) and some of the dialogue, especially for Frank Ridley’s character Joe Havey, was poorly scripted but really it worked despite all the shortcomings that usually accompany a first-timer’s low budget endeavor.
Vigdis Anholt turned in a really cool performance as the mentally deranged Erin Merryweather. I guarantee you’ll get a kick out of Erin when she’s all “dolled” up. I was really diggin’ the whole “dolly/painting/child voice over” that occasionally sprung up during Erin’s frequent breaks from reality as well. It really added a creepy atmosphere to the film. I should also mention writer/director David Morwick’s performance as Peter Bloom; he did a pretty damn good job. These two actors really stood out from the rest.
This wasn’t one of the best low budget films I’ve ever seen but it wasn’t half-bad. It could have used some gore, as there was none at all, and it could have held out on the killer’s identity a bit longer but you get what you get. Check it out as a rental.
