Little Erin Merryweather

2003
Dir. David Morwick

The grisly murders of several students at a quiet college campus coincide with recent sightings of a red-hooded figure creeping around the local woods. Student Peter Bloom decides to investigate, and before long he realises that the killer, who has a connection to the school library, is also obsessed with fairy tales. Peter must act quickly to figure out the bizarre modus operandi and stop the killer before they strike again…

'A flash of red... Then you're dead.'

I bought Little Erin Merryweather for £1 in a local discount shop. I wasn’t really expecting much; so was pleasantly surprised when it actually turned out to be not half bad. It certainly has its fair share of interesting moments and startling imagery. And it was £1.

An intriguing opening sets the fairy tale-image drenched scene, as a young college student is lured into the woods by a mysterious figure in a red cape, only to be pounced upon and gutted. Even though we don’t see the act, the utilisation of queasy sound effects leaves little to the imagination. The red-caped figure and snow-covered woods ensure the fairy tale connotations practically drip off the screen…

"Licking his paws after his last sin,
He foolishly threw caution to the wind:
See how simple it is to creep,
When playing this game of hide and seek?

Slice the belly – what did she see?
Not a trace of father; completely empty.
She gave him his fill, though not so clever,
To make him a prisoner in his garden forever…"

The tale of Red Riding Hood has been adapted and reinterpreted for film before, in titles such as The Company of Wolves, Freeway, and the forthcoming Red Riding Hood. It has often been interpreted as a cautionary tale warning young women of the dangers of strange men. It has connotations of awakening sexuality, and the big bad wolf is a metaphor for aggressive male desire; innocence encountering primal lust. *Spoilers* Little Erin Merryweather updates the tale to feature Red Riding Hood as a serial killer traumatised by events in her abusive childhood. The 'big bad wolf' in her past, was her father. The film is fairly subtle in its approach to these themes, with flashbacks depicting the girl’s abuse taking a suggestive approach. Indeed, the flashbacks have a strangely giallo-esque feel to them, with an emphasis on nursery rhymes and disturbing children’s drawings featuring ‘dirty handed men.’

All grown up now, Erin Merryweather is a university librarian by day, and a frenzied, red-hooded slasher by night. She begins offing young men on campus when memories of her childhood are triggered when she encounters men with dirty hands. And as bad luck would have it, the guys on this campus obviously need to brush up on basic hygiene… Leading the tender-footed investigation, as the cops seem as inept as most horror movie cops, are student Peter Bloom (writer/director David Morwick) and student reporters Sean and Teddy (Marcus Bonnée and Brandon Johnson). When they realise the killer’s calling card is filling the stomachs of her victims with stones, they begin to uncover an unhealthy obsession with fairy tales that may help them solve the case. Luckily, criminal psychologist and lecturer Dr Paula Sheffield (Elizabeth Callahan) is on hand to prompt debate and tell them to go to the library and do some research. Being knowledge-hungry students and prone to intellectual debate, various scenes feature conversations about trauma, deviant behaviour, childhood and dicussions about victims becoming victimisers… This all of course ties in with the murder mystery at the heart of the film.

The fairy tale images that pepper the narrative are as striking as you’d expect – a discarded broken doll here, a glimpse of a red hood or drop of blood on crisp, white snow there. Despite the low budget the film looks rather beautiful, and it often feels much older than it actually is. And then there are the sketches drawn by the titular character – weirdly beautiful illustrations that give us a further peek into her troubled mind. Erin is portrayed sympathetically by stage actress Vigdis Anholt. At times she appears childlike and naive; at other times she is revealed to be manipulative and calculating. The script often calls for her to be the ‘weird girl’ on campus, and she can usually be seen skulking about in a red cloak and acting all mysterious, wide-eyed and distant. Anholt’s expressive performance, conviction to the role and steadfastness in avoiding obvious melodramatics ensure the audience feel sympathy for the disturbed Erin and get a real sense of her past trauma and the tragic impact it has had on her life.

Little Erin Merryweather flips a few typical conventions on their head, featuring, as it does, a female killer and a roster of handsome male victims. Also unexpected is the unveiling of the killer at the beginning of the film, stripping many of the later events of any mystery. We know who the killer is, why she kills; but we have to wait until the characters figure out what we know, in order for the action to move forward. Therein lies the tension. Maybe. Morwick makes a number of strange choices – not all of which are successful – though he seems to be making them in an attempt to subvert convention, and his flashes of creativity aren’t restricted by the often workmanlike plot developments. His competent direction keeps things ticking over just enough to retain your attention – even if you do see what’s coming from a mile off. This isn’t your average straight to DVD slasher movie though, it's a strikingly shot thriller that is elevated by a dedicated cast and intriguing premise.