Horror Comedy Mermaid (SXSW) Swims Against Its Own Current

Title: Mermaid

First Non-Festival Release: TBD

Director: Tyler Cornack

Writer: Tyler Cornack

Runtime: 105 Minutes

Starring: Johnny Pemberton, Avery Potemri, Nancy McCrumb, Robert Patrick

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

This film’s review was written after its screening at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2025.

Often derided for its crazy news headlines and the celebrities that arise from it, Florida has a reputation for its weirdness. There’s a certain magic behind the gator-infested peninsula that isn’t entirely thanks to a certain Mouse’s kingdom. With a charm all its own, it’s shocking that more films aren’t set in Florida. Cue Mermaid. 

Doug (Johnny Pemberton) is a Percocet-addicted former fish tank cleaner and burnout who is severely in debt to the local crime bosses in his city. An absent father to his daughter Cassie (Devyn McDowell) and thorn in the side to his ex (Nancy McCrumb) and her new husband Keith (Kevin Nelson), Doug has little going for himself when he attempts suicide out in the bay. Right as he is about to pull the trigger, he spots an injured mermaid (Avery Potemri) and decides to nurse her back to health instead, not knowing the fallout that will follow.

At times dull and directionless, horror comedy Mermaid fails to strike the necessary balance between the two genres, despite great foundations.

The first twenty or so minutes of Mermaid shows promise in its interesting character introductions and interactions. Doug isn’t known for his intelligence. Between failing to understand social cues in flirting, gliding through a daddy-daughter play date with only a few exchanges of words, and consistently neglecting to pay off his drug dealers, there aren’t too many examples of him proving otherwise. Outside his knowledge of fish, he flounders. Doug’s life is full of quirky characters that practically scream Florida like his ruthless, wisecracking drug dealer or his beautiful, hot-tempered ex-wife. There’s plenty of story to mine here and the comedy flows naturally before its titular creature is revealed.

Once Mermaid concludes its first act, its momentum falls quite spectacularly, as it loses its direction quickly. Unfortunately, this aligns closely with the introduction of its titular creature. Once the mermaid enters the equation, the comedy becomes far more niche, situational, and even more pronounced with its pacing issues. The breaths between setups and punchlines or the lingering after unexpected quips feels interminable. Dry humor and quick wit can be appreciated, but the diminishing returns of Mermaid make for an exceptionally dull finale despite its attempts at emotional resonance.

Much of Mermaid falls on the shoulders of Johnny Pemberton’s performance as Doug, who is an iffy protagonist at best, as the story continues. Endearing at first, his bumbling approach to challenges and general air of cluelessness becomes grating the more Mermaid marches on. Lacking growth or true self-awareness, Doug struggles to find direction in his life and, subsequently, he aimlessly floats through the narrative. No one is saying he needs to be a better person, but his movement as a person is so minimal that it makes it hard to stay invested. It doesn’t help that every other major player is as static too. Without a compelling arc, Mermaid floats without much direction, too.

What genre aficionados can celebrate, however, is the excellent creature effects work behind Mermaid. The design of the mermaid is sensational. Scaly black skin with enormous tusks for teeth give its creature an imposing vibe, while its human portrayal and practical effects and makeup work allows it to stay grounded in reality. With vicious capabilities, the only complaint with the mermaid is how little carnage she gets to enact on the sleepy Florida town. Relegated to the sidelines, the best aspect of Mermaid is one barely seen.

While technically one of the better efforts in the mermaid sector of the horror genre, Mermaid is a middling affair that doesn’t do much with its interesting story threads. Attempting to turn this Floridian story into a dark and realistic fairytale, Mermaid only musters magic from its central beast’s frightening appearance. Dragging action, hit-or-miss comedy, and its wayward approach to storytelling sink this creature feature comedy before it can finish sailing.

Overall Score? 5/10