Characters with questionable competence compromise conquering toxic masculinity corruption consummated through companions cooperatively awakening the aquatic creature featured in continuum of other incoherent horror chronicles.

Erzulie starts with a cold open kill, where an unknown person is randomly picked off with little to no knowledge of who they are. This is a horror pet peeve of mine when not implemented properly. It’s worse when the said scene isn’t even touched upon again making it feel all the more random. Who was this person? Why do I care? What is the significance of this scene?

From there we meet Wendy (Courtney Oliviér). She rents a cottage in a Louisiana bayou with her friends to celebrate their five years of friendship. It’s only a matter of time before her hidden agenda is revealed. She was recently fired from the women’s shelter she worked for. She discusses the legend of Erzulie (Leila Annastasia Scott), a mermaid water goddess and protector of women. If a woman bleeds in the sacred river, Erzulie will grant them their blessings. Wendy wants to use this to her advantage to exact her revenge.

As the others express their deepest desires some characters get more developed as their dreams and fears are naturally given exposition because it feels like they’re having an actual conversation without feeling forced. Fay (Zoe Graham) reveals she is running away from an abusive relationship and she doesn’t feel safe anywhere but her job so she’s overworked. They’re both likable, sympathetic characters. Violet (Elizabeth Trieu) and Ari (Diana Rose) are there, too, but unfortunately they’re not as defined. Jason Kirkpatrick plays the property manager, looking like he’s having fun in the role while stealing all his scenes. Leila Anastasia Scott is also compelling as the titular water goddess successfully creating a sinister, fearsome character.

Written by Christine Chen and Camille Gladney, Erzulie is paced evenly so at no point does it feel like it’s dragging on. It touches on themes like trust, friendship, loyalty, respect, overcoming, and redemption. It does get unfocused as it meanders through the second act, though. Many subplots about toxic waste in the water ultimately go nowhere. It has underlying social commentary about toxic masculinity and neo-feminism that feels spiteful toward males in my opinion. Aside from that, the conflict between the girls is pushed forward by impractical decisions. One’s suspension of disbelief can only be stretched so far when characters make inexplicably irrational choices. Without saying too much, the third act felt underwhelming.

Directed by Christine Chen, she uses her environment to her advantage by utilizing wide shots to convey the gorgeously luscious scenery. Even when filming the night scenes different angels and various other camera tricks are used so the shadows enhance the dramatic backdrop to build suspense. The swamp at night has never looked so scary. I always appreciate when practical effects are used over CGI especially when it comes to the gore. It’s used superbly here, too.

Overall, what could have been a gripping girl power creature feature feels more like a self-serving neo-feminist political statement. It felt mean-spirited towards men for the most part. Maybe I’m biased because I’m a man, but it’s the impression it left on me. Whether or not that was intended is debatable because I don’t know the filmmaker’s true intent, but I try to be objective when writing reviews so I don’t take it personally. I do recommend Erzulie for fans of folklore and creature features. It feels like a quasi Splash remake with a horror twist or like Jennifer’s Body but without the cheeky self-aware humour about the irony of the role reversal horror films. And remember, it’s not about turning tables, it’s about turning repu-Table messages into a malicious motion picture.

6 out of 10