Killer Mermaids

Release Date: 29 June

2014 | 18 | DVD

It’s a glorious

grindhouse title – but an equally shameless bait- and- switch. There’s only one killer mermaid in this Serbian horror and she doesn’t arrive on screen for an hour. But the film’s original title – Nymph – feels even less appropriate.

For all its intriguing hints of oceanic mythology, this is, at grisly heart, a slasher flick. A group of friends explore an island that is, we’re told, “drenched in blood” ( doesn’t TripAdvisor warn against this kind of thing?). Soon they’re stalked by a harpoon- wielding killer who brings a distinct John Carpenter vibe, breaking the monotony of all the Spielberghomaging underwater POV shots.

You want it to be Splash with bite but the action quickly devolves into a stabby runaround, the underdeveloped fantasy elements clashing with the bloodletting.

None. Nick Setchfield