Review by Gary Tooze

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German, Dutch, none

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What has Disney done to mermaids? Even in Hans Christian Andersen's time, they had a darker symbolic weight, but today Western horror fans are reacting to Killer Mermaids as if it has come up with a playful twist. Not so in Eastern Europe, where it was made and where it's set. There mermaids have remained sinister, closely related to the Russian rusalka, the spirit of a murdered girl who lurks in lonely waters waiting to drown men who pass by. In this film they are also connected with the Greek sirens, legendary creatures who lured sailors to their deaths with their beautiful song, feasting on the bodies as ships smashed against rocky islands.

Perhaps it's because of that cultural difference that this film has experienced so much difficulty. Previously known as Nymph and Mamula, it enjoyed brief success on the horror festival circuit before disappearing into obscurity.

Excerpt from EyeForFilm located HERE

There is an attractive self-awareness about NYMPH, a knowing kitsch which, I assume, informed that choice of Nipplepeople. It’s a trait that appears most prominently in the film’s dialogue. When the American pair first meet Boban on a boat, they chat before he shows them a trident-like spear. ‘Sorry, I need to catch my lunch,’ he states before hurling himself into the blue ocean. A Roger Moore of the Adriatic Sea. Similarly, the number of times one of the posse tells the others to ‘go this way’ in the myriad chase sequences is another idiosyncratic verbal highlight.

It’s thanks to director Milan Todorovic’s forensic understanding of the genre that allows him to play with its conventions. In the opening sequence a couple of lovers are quickly killed, seemingly paving the way for an hour and a half of senseless maiming. Except this does not happen. Kelly, Lucy and the gang are not merely monster fodder, but are well-rounded and, more interestingly, likeable protagonists, engagement helped by having a select cast, so when the Grim Reaper does come a-splashing there is no joy to be found in their jeopardy.