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Mermaid

Play trailer 1:32 Poster for Mermaid Apr 2026 1h 45m Comedy Fantasy Action Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 25 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Doug is an awkward Florida drug addict. Divorced and alone, he shares custody of his young daughter with his ex. Doug's reeling from losing his job at a local strip club, where he takes care of the fish in the aquarium. Things are beyond bleak -- so Doug zips his boat out into the Gulf to end the pain of his reality. But at his lowest point, he discovers an injured Mermaid creature clinging to life. For Doug, it's a sign from the Universe -- so he brings her home, gives her shelter in his tub and begins to nurse her back to health. He even names her Destiny. As their rapport blossoms, word of his secret gets out and he is forced to protect his new friend by any means necessary.
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Mermaid

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Critics Consensus

A compelling and original directorial debut, Mermaid offers up strong performances, impressive practical effects, and a poignant exploration of loneliness and desperation.

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Critics Reviews

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Maxwell Rabb Slant Magazine Apr 1, 2026
2.5/4
Ultimately, Mermaid shows how loneliness can un-anchor a person, and it makes you understand how any lost sailor might fall for the first thing, no matter what it is, that breaks it. Go to Full Review
Matt Zoller Seitz RogerEbert.com Mar 25, 2025
In the end, “Mermaid” is more a promising first effort than a fully satisfying experience. Go to Full Review
Robert Martin Starburst May 5, 2026
4/5
The special make-up effects are superb – Destiny is pretty convincing – and the result is a film that punches way above the weight of what must have been a pretty limited budget. Go to Full Review
Carla Hay Culture Mix May 1, 2026
People should not expect this Mermaid movie to be like the 1984 romantic comedy Splash. This Mermaid movie is a quirky, dark comedy where a mermaid is discovered by a man coping with drug addiction, depression, and nasty people. Go to Full Review
Aimee Hart Polygon Apr 21, 2026
Mermaid challenges our expectations about relationships and what they can mean for different people, picking up where Del Toro left off and taking the concept even further. Go to Full Review
Dennis Harvey 48 Hills Apr 14, 2026
While not everything here works (veteran Patrick makes a good villain, but he’s really over-indulged in some scenes), the sum is an eccentric original. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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TheMovieSearch R @TheMovieSearch 3 days ago Mermaid is a movie that had a concept and actors that made me think it was going to deliver something much stronger. Unfortunately, it never really lives up to that promise. For a horror movie about a creature that looks like a mermaid but carries a much darker and creepier presence, I expected the story to build toward something genuinely unsettling. Instead, the movie felt flat before it ever really got anywhere. I didn’t like the casting choices, the overall arc, or the buildup. Everything felt lackluster, and the ending was especially disappointing. Rather than bringing everything together or giving the story a memorable final moment, it felt like a waste after everything that came before it. At the end of the day, Mermaid felt more like a small experimental art project than a fully developed feature film. I wasn’t a fan of it, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend it. There was potential here, but the movie never delivered the horror, tension, or payoff I felt it was promising. See more Dave O @Dave_ 3 days ago Stick with it it’s awesome. See more Douglas D @Douglyfe 3 days ago Splash meets Misery with a dusting of Weekend at Bernie’s… super weird but somehow it works. See more Sarah W @RT92829792 Sep 9, 2026 Great casting. Super-de-duper weird. See more Andrea M @RT29666281 Sep 9, 2026 Ok. This was not high art. But as an indie monster movie/story about addiction it was kinda…compelling. The characters were all kind of not very sympathetic which was an impediment, but still. Somehow it had heart. There were multiple complicated and failed relationships that added to the pathos which ~should~ have added depth and to a degree did. But every performance was over the top. Which I guess was the point. It’s a tongue in cheek monster movie full of monsters. Anyway. I think it’s a movie best enjoyed with edibles and friends, but definitely not sushi. Because eewwww. See more Katelin E @RT73785800 Sep 7, 2026 This is my first movie review and after watching this movie I had to see what it was rated. I will never get that time back. This was the worst movie I have ever seen. The acting and camera angles were fine. The story was awful. There was nothing likable about this movie. Nothing relatable. It was just awful. It was terrible. See more Read all reviews
Mermaid

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Mermaid

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Movie Info

Synopsis Doug is an awkward Florida drug addict. Divorced and alone, he shares custody of his young daughter with his ex. Doug's reeling from losing his job at a local strip club, where he takes care of the fish in the aquarium. Things are beyond bleak -- so Doug zips his boat out into the Gulf to end the pain of his reality. But at his lowest point, he discovers an injured Mermaid creature clinging to life. For Doug, it's a sign from the Universe -- so he brings her home, gives her shelter in his tub and begins to nurse her back to health. He even names her Destiny. As their rapport blossoms, word of his secret gets out and he is forced to protect his new friend by any means necessary.
Director
Tyler Cornack
Producer
Cole Eckerle, Dane Eckerle, Daniel Brandt
Screenwriter
Tyler Cornack
Distributor
Utopia
Production Co
Bad Grey
Genre
Comedy, Fantasy, Action, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 8, 2026, Limited
Runtime
1h 45m
Aspect Ratio
Digital 2.39:1
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