Customer Reviews

Little Erin Merryweather

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This may contain a *SPOILER* for some. This movie creates a good "scary feel", filmed nicely, but whatever happened to suspense? If you want suspense, don't look for it here. This is no who-dunnit or not surprising. You know exactly who the killer is from the getgo. The focus is on why she kills. I did like how they gradually and progressively presented that. She sort of reminds me of Glenn close in "Fatal Attraction", twisted as a result of a really messed up childhood. Well that's expected. Adults lugging dolls and imitating children's storybook characters are indicative of something not quite right.

a fun little thriller that is more intelligent than most recent low budget horror films. Who is killing the male students at a New England campus and why the Little Red Riding Hood mythos play into it?Writer/director/star David Morwick wisely places the emphasis on suspense and characterization over gore and a high body count. Imagination. pacing and direction go a long way if done well and more independent film makers should follow this tact. This film is as much a "whydunit" than "whodunit" as the killer's identity is obvious very early on. I loved the use of the eyeless Red Riding Hood doll, the narration by the little girl, and the morbidly cute illustrations in the picture book drawn by Erin--all are twisted and genuinely disturbing and gave insight into her warped viewpoint, something most slasher flicks don't even bother attempting anymore. Good sound editing, music score, stark New England winter setting and performances all mesh together nicely. While no classic, "Little Erin" is a solid effort by Morwick and made me wanting more. Slasher fans looking for their T&A and gore fix should stay clear. Argento fans and those who like a killer with some personality should find this film a satisfying rental.

You know, a lot of the classic old fairy tales are really quite dark stories, especially in their original form, what with witches trying to cook kids alive, girls being locked up in high towers, a girl being poisoned just for being beautiful, and, of course, wolves stalking little girls in the woods and eating grandmothers. It seems only natural that a modern-day horror movie could be built around such a story, yet such a blending of reality and fantasy as what you see in Little Erin Merryweather is a breath of fresh air to the genre. This is a film that compels the viewer to watch it in a different if not unique way, and its element of high strangeness gives it a power all its own.

Little Erin Merryweather is a delightfully different kind of slasher movie, and as such it has even received some darn good critical reviews. As much as there is to like here, however, I think the film also suffers from a few slight weaknesses. The fact that you know the identity of the killer early on robs the film of some additional suspense, but I can't call this a criticism because the film clearly was never conceived as a whodunit. It's really a psychological character study of a most troubled personality. I didn't find the film all that disturbing, though. While we came to understand the killer and her motives, the story never really took us inside her deranged mind. In case you're wondering, those female references are not mistakes - Little Erin Merryweather is the story of a female serial killer.

In terms of cinematography, this film has it going on. The opening scene is particularly well-done, as the canvas of snow on the ground really sets off the scarlet cape of our killer as she goes about luring a young man to his death. We never see any of the details of the killings, but there's almost something poetic about this first young man's death - aside from his being disemboweled and all. The victim was a student at a nearby college, but Peter Bloom (David Morwick) seems to be the only one even slightly concerned about the murder. His two friends on the school newspaper are rather flippant about it, but they join Peter's bandwagon after a second male college student is found dead the next day. Local detective Joe Havey (Frank Ridley) knows how to bluster but little else, so he calls upon psychology professor Paula Sheffield (Elizabeth Callahan) for help. She eventually teams up with Peter and his friends to do some investigating of their own - although Peter does make time to get something going with fellow student Erin Merryweather (Vigdis Anholt), a decision that proves to be even more dangerous than continuing his investigation of the murders.

Anholt is quite good in her pivotal role, especially on those occasions when she drops her character's mask to give us a glimpse of what lies behind it, but I'll just come right out and say that she appears to be too old for the part - combine that with the obvious weirdness of her character, and I can't pretend to understand why Peter would be so attracted to her. They say love is blind, but if that were true I wouldn't still be single. But I digress. Getting back to the acting, I wasn't all that impressed with the central threesome of male characters, including Peter. I certainly would never have suspected that David Morwick was a classically trained actor who attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Morwick also wrote and directed the film, and I have no criticisms to make in either of those departments.

Even though I may not be quite as enthusiastic about Little Erin Merryweather as some other reviewers and critics, I would still recommend the film with no reservations, especially to horror/suspense fans looking for something a little off the beaten path.

David Morwick and Vigdis Anholt are spectacular in this film as the protagonist and antagonist, cat and mouse or, more truly, wolf and wolf-killer, in this seat-grippping, heart-shredding film. One of the finest horror films of the past decade, Little Erin Merryweather, combines the baited-breath suspense of Hitchcock with the stylized violence (never gratuitous) of Dario Argento's seventies' "giallo" Italian horror films. Riveting, superbly paced, a tour de force for all the actors, it is scarlet sensational. Actor, writer, director, and producer David Morwick brings to the horror genre a frightening and intelligent film that will have you at the edge of the knife!

Not so fabulous - the story line is good and was full of potential, but the acting is bad, and not in a humourouse way. . . and the few suggested deviant behaviors weren't strong or bothersome enough. I'll be donating this tarnished gem soon.

A deliciously-scary throwback to the horror films of the 70s and 80s, Little Erin Merryweather has a panache all its own, an eerie yet elegant plot punctuated by scares and shocks reminiscent of the classic thriller Halloween - and a back story that re-boots, of all things, Little Red Riding Hood.

But this modern-day fairy tale soon turns very grim. Somewhere, lurking about the snowy woods of a small college town, a killer in red dispatches victims with three startling similarities: They're male, they're blond, and they have - take note - dirty hands. It's not a spoiler to say the killer is female and her motivation stems from a horrific upbringing by an evil father. Now she wants revenge. So beware her creepy, cracked porcelain doll, an artifact from childhood, with its ghoulish pair of hollowed-out eyes. And look out should you see a flash of red - trouble's ahead.

After the first murder, college student Peter Bloom (David Morwick) suspects a serial killer is on the loose. His buddies on the school paper razz him - after all, they point out, Peter also believes in Bigfoot and claimed one of his professors was a werewolf. Still, like any good reporter, Peter snoops, until uncovering the scoop that may win him a byline but cost him his life.

Morwick - who also directed the film and wrote its screenplay - is charming and determined, brave enough to take on the killer in a spooky school library, yet vulnerable enough to shyly squirm and stammer during a coffee date. Vigdis Anholt somehow brings a sweet, sympathetic frailty to her role as a serial killer. True, she's a loon, but not a mindless one, and when she flirts with Morwick and looks into his handsome face, you just know there's a part of her that wants to date this guy, not decapitate him. Then she looks at his fingers - too bad, the poor boy apparently has newsprint or something on them - and her rage kicks in.

Unlike nearly all of today's horror films, including virtually every minute of the Saw franchise, Merryweather's scares don't soak you in blood. For sure, the shocks are there: Be prepared to jump half-a-dozen times during the climax. But as Hitchcock proved in Psycho, and as Carpenter mastered in Halloween, Morwick knows simplicity scares best. His stark use of sound - the slash of a knife slicing a body, for instance - is actually far more terrifying than displaying the bloody leftovers.

Grossing out moviegoers is easy. Jolting them is hard. Giving them a reason to care about characters in trouble - that's even harder. Little Erin Merryweather takes that hardest of roads and succeeds. Much more than gore, its haunted resonance offers a lingering chill. Put it this way: If Jaws kept swimmers out of the water, then Little Erin Merryweather surely will keep your fingernails clean.

That's exactly how I felt when I finished watching this film, sucker punched. I was hoping for some laughs from another grade D horror film. I guess the joke's on me. Little Erin Merryweather was good, not perfect but good. David Morwick is kind of the man behind the curtain as director, actor, writer. But I think it's safe to say his strength is in the acting department.

Morwick is very funny and likeable in the lead role of Peter and probably brings in the strongest performance. We all know that bumbling, fidgety kid we went to school with and Morwick plays that part perfectly, to a tee. Although Vigdis Anholt (Erin) doesn't say much, her performance can be summed up by the old adage, "if looks could kill. . ."
Her body language and chilling stares is what spooked me the most. I give the filmmakers two thumbs up for turning the genre on its head in a sense and letting a female villain take a whack at this. Where the film falls short is in the pacing. It's just too damn slow at times. But, this has made up for an overall style, mood and atmosphere of the film. Before you poo-poo this as just another low budget slasher, take another look. Speaking of the look of the film, it really captured those rich, depth of field shots.

What struck me the most with Little Erin Merryweather and I have seen other people comment on this is that they really achieved the throwback to the "70's". This film looks like it was made in 1976, 1977, right down to the actors. I would never have guessed this was made in 2006. There's no morphed reflection of today's society at all. I don't know how they achieved this, but they did.

I noticed this movie when I was just browsing about Amazon in the Movies&TV section, and thought it sounded cool. Than I, to my surprize, recieved it for Christmas in 2010. All I can say is that this is one of the best movies I have seen in a while. It is already high on my favorite movie list!
Message: ignore that 1 star review. They dont know what the heck they are talking about, seriously.
But anyway, I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!
the end-

I've read some scathing reviews about this film so I expected it to be total crap. Being a female horror fan I very much appreciated how smart this truly was. I feel like this was more of an art house film than a slash and gash which is probably why this went right over the heads of gore lovers. The art work in this film is absolutely superb. Contrary to some opinions, I thought the acting in this film was actually pretty solid. Keep in mind that most of these films have no character development at all, just the usual array of naked girls at a summer camp which I personally find insulting. Vigdis Anholt who is one of the leads is so convincing and really delivers. David Morwick as the other lead does a pretty damn good job and definitely has a flair for comedy. But the one who actually impressed me the most was the woman who played Peter's mentor, Liz Callahan. She was so natural and smooth. Nice to have a strong woman for once who saves the day (sorry to give away the ending). This film is clearly not a whodunit nor was it intended to be since the name of the killer is in the title of the movie. I like that they went down a different path instead of the overdone Scoobie Do ending. Not to forget the music - which I actually think is my favorite part of the movie. I have been humming the sad little melody for days.

This movie provides us with a classic grim fairytale. Im not in love with the cast. The acting leaves a lot to be desired. The story is automatically told from the very beginning so if you're looking for a mystery look elsewhere. Overall it's an alright movie. Watch it, but don't buy it.