Mercy (2014) - full transcript

So cute.

Shh.

I know it's kinda strange,

but my grandmother's always
been my best friend.

Seriously.

She'd seen hard times.

Just after Grandma had triplets,

they tell me my grandfather
axed himself in the head

while chopping wood.

They must think
I was born yesterday.

Uncle Ian calls it "The Axcident."



Pun intended.

Mom says he just uses humor
to hide his real feelings.

I don't know. Must've been
pretty tough for them.

There's a lot of stories
they don't tell me,

but I can feel them.

They're in the dirt that I walk on
when I visit this place.

Anyway, I'll never forget all the things

Grandma tried to pass on to me.

Even the ones she didn't mean to.

Harder. Harder, man.

It's hard being an outsider.

And you and me come from
a long line of outsiders.

People like to prey
on those who are weak.

But you have to
remember something.



It's not because we are weak.

It's because we are strong.

My grandma taught me that.

What's this?

A warning.

It means if anyone who lacks courage

steps foot on her grave,

she'll reach out and strike them dead.

But she was just kidding, right?

See for yourself.

Whoa.

Don't move!

If you move, she'll strike.

You have to be brave.

You have to stand up.

Here.

Look her in the eye and play.

What? Do it.

She seems to approve.

If you can stand up to a beast,

you can stand up to a bully.

Oh. Wow!

Momma.

Wow.

Looks good.

What is it, Momma?

- Oh, gosh!
- No!

Get out! Get out of my house!

Whoa, what happened?

Mercy cut me.

Don't go in there.

Get out!

Grandma!

Georgie?

Georgie...

I tried everything, Georgie.

I can't cure myself.

It's gonna be okay.
The doctors are coming.

They don't know anything.

All I wanted was a baby.

Georgie.

He's coming.

You got to get out of here.

What?
- It's for your own good.

Georgie.
- I'm not going anywhere.

I can protect you, Grandma!

I love you!

I love you too.

More than anything.

But you can't save me.

George? You need to come now.

No, not now!
- George!

He's coming! He's coming!

Did you hear what I said?

Grandma had a stroke?

Is she dead?

Mom said stroke.
Stroke doesn't mean dead.

Might as well be.

Ow! You moron!

Guys, stop it!

She's not dead,

but she's in pretty bad shape.

The idiots at the nursing home

say they won't take care of her anymore.

Why?

There's been, um...

Problems.

What kind of problems?

So she's gonna live with you now, huh?

I wish.

We're going to stay at
Grandma's place for a while.

Mom says we'll
take care of her there.

What's wrong with your house?

She wants to die in hers, huh?

You haven't seen her
since she got sick.

I should have.

It's not your fault, George.

You care too much.

No.
- You do.

That's why I watch over you.

Georgie, look. You mustn't...

George.

Who you talking to?

The girl next door.

The girl next...
Or God, maybe.

Well, either way you're
supposed to be in class.

No, I've done my
work for the week.

School policy, George.
You still have to go.

Or what?
You gonna drag me in?

I'm nothing like my brother.

He hates going to Grandma's.

But he's kinda weird.

He's 15 and only cares
about his cooking

and being a chef one day,

but at least he has direction.

Maybe I'm the weird one.

Can't you just use ketchup
like a normal person?

I'm not a normal person.

I'm a "supertaster."

A what?

Doctor Frankel said I have a third
more taste buds than most people.

And 100 fewer IQ points.

Guys!
Oh, for God's sakes!

This blows.

Why are we stuck taking care
of Grandma anyway?

Uncle Ian lives closer.
He works.

And you don't?

What about Aunt Jinny?

She's got to get out
of the nuthouse first.

It's a hospital.

I've got to get
a healthier family.

Why do you have
to be such a jerk?

Aren't you just a little sad?

I mean, it's the last time
you're gonna see Grandma.

Oh, doesn't look so bad.

Should've stayed in a hotel.

Watch it!

It's Grandma's favorite lamp.

Oh, no.
Not Grandma's favorite lamp.

Yeah, see?
Now you got the haints angry.

That's just the house settling.

The house has been
here for 150 years.

Don't you think
it's already settled?

Don't try to freak me out.

I don't have to.

You know what happened here.

Grandma was sitting there,
holding Mom.

Grandpa Frank,
he was standing here.

Holding an ax.
Bite me, George!

Everyone knows it
was an accident.

How can you cut yourself in
half by accident, you moron?

I'm sure it
happens all the time.

Maybe he like...

Tripped.

And...

Who cares anyways!

You do.

You think he's still here.

Can't you see him?
Walking this room?

Rusty old ax in his hand?

Just give it a rest, okay?

What happens when
he runs out of head?

Who's he gonna
turn his ax on then?

Turn the light on.

I'm warning you.

You wouldn't hear him coming.

The last thing you'd
smell is his whiskey

and his hot, stale
breath on your neck.

- George!
- And then...

Stop!

Stop...

What's going on, Jimmy?

What's going on, hey!

Buddy, Basil, come on!

Basil, come on!

Ah, thought you were a ghost.

I ought to call the cops on you, Jim.
The way you scared my boys.

Me? Hell, Reb, you should've
seen them going at it.

Boy's gotten heavy too.
I think I threw my back out.

Buddy's cooking.

How's the photography,
Mr. Swann?

Selling any photos?

Uh. Well, some folks prefer
my wife's paintings,

but I do sell enough to afford
the occasional libation.

Libation? Oh.
Means they can get plastered.

George!

Boy's got a mouth
and a vocabulary.

Speaking of which,

look what I got for you.

Little education.

Sweet.

Isn't that
a little scary for him?

Oh, hell no.

It's just about a guy trying
to kill his entire family.

My daddy did it all the time.

Is there anything for me?

Damn. Did I forget you?

Gift card to my
cousin's grocery.

You can Bobby Flay
yourself to death.

Thank you.

Anything left for me?

You?

Just my undying love and
the pleasure of my company.

I think your wife might have
something to say about that.

I wouldn't tell.

Well, I just figured
you, you know,

need some help
getting the house ready.

Oh, you don't have to do that.
No, no.

Oh.
Come on!

Your mama practically raised me.
I owe her big.

And it's a pretty decent
excuse for me to come visit.

Mom's 15 again.

She should've married him.

She would've had
to move back here.

Yeah, so?

Mom loves him enough.

Not as much as she
hates this place.

Mom?

Hey, George.
You ready?

Let's go get Grandma.

Ah, shit!

Family reunion!

Hey, Uncle Ian.

Hey, Uncle Ian.

Jesus, you boys got tall.

You got a little wide.

And you started a little early.

It's my day off, Beck!

In fact, I was just
down in Coopersville.

I got you guys
a special present, okay?

So you'll always have something
to remember your special trip

to see your Grandma.

Here you go.

That was funny, all right? I'm
trying to lighten the mood.

You should try humor.

This is an advertisement
for dying young.

Welcome. Grandma's
room's right there, boys.

So I signed the discharge papers.
I thought that might help.

"Help" would be taking
her in yourself, Ian.

No, that would not be.
That would be martyrdom.

What is this?

It's a room.

You told me she
had a private room.

She did, at first.

Lanning, I sent you
thousands of dollars!

And it got spent.

Metamucil tax.

The quality oatmeal.

You know we had to get a few
roommates to defray the cost.

How many?

I don't know.
Four, five?

Four or...

Six.

Six? Get over here.

Let's go!
Ow.

She said you'd come to get me.

Keep her away from me!

What?

Jesus, help me.
What's going on?

This guy,
he tried to grab George.

What?

She's here, honey.

Jeez.

Sorry, George. She's like
this most of the time.

Grandma?

You carry that thing everywhere?

Just when I'm with your grandma.

Why?

Ask her roommates.

All right, so you got her drugs.

Special pillow.

For God's sake, don't
give her another pillow.

And then you got these.

Wait. We have to
change her diapers?

Yeah, she's pretty regular.

Is she ever lucid?

Yeah, for a few
minutes of the day.

Mostly she's like an infant.

Gurgles, drools.

The most important thing
is you have to remember

to give her her
shots when she's awake.

Chlorpromazine? Isn't
that for mental patients?

It helps keep her...
Friendly?

Just gotta dilute it with saline
solution and you'll be fine.

Now your brother said that you
had medical training, correct?

In the army.

Great!
That's good for me.

Wait, wait, wait. Um...

Do you think maybe you could stick
around for a couple of days?

Make sure that we're
doing everything right?

Uh...

I'll pay you double
what you're making now.

What d'ya...
Take care.

Ugh!
I'm going with Wendell.

You're not going anywhere.

What? You think
just because she's old

we're going to dump
her in the street?

We're a family.

One day, I'm gonna
be on that bed

and you'll be taking care of me.

That's up to Medicare.

Buddy!

Come here.
Come here!

Look, I know this is hard. But
we're in this together, okay?

And we're gonna face this
with love and dignity.

Hold her down!
I'm trying!

Sit on her feet then!

George, just hold the arm!
Hold the arm!

Hold her arm!

What are you doing?

Did you see that?

No. It's in her handwriting.

Yes. Of course I'm sure.

All right. Well, thank you.

Your Aunt Jinny's been in
isolation for the last month.

They don't know how she sent it.

Okay. Well,
what does it mean? Hastur...

Don't say that.

Why? Who's Hastur?

Oh, come on! Come on!

No, it's just a stupid old name

that gets Grandma all worked up.

I quit!

She doesn't like that baby food crap.
She wants real food.

She will get what
the doctor ordered.

But Mom!
She doesn't like it! Look.

Momma!

So, here's your baby back.

And there is the tekkamaki.

It's sushi. My dad FedEx'd
me the fish from New York.

It's a little undercooked, son.

That's because it's sushi.

Why don't we go
put it on the grill?

See, Mercy? It's
rosemary, your favorite.

Let her smell it, Henrietta.

Mercy, he just wanted
to see how you were.

Wow.
Yeah, I took that.

So good.
A couple of years ago.

Beautiful. I always liked
the light there, right?

It's gorgeous.
Oh, my goodness.

Yeah.

Those yours?

Yeah, Charlotte and I
started a new catalog.

Look.
Wow.

- Jesus.
Mmm-hmm.

My darling wife
painted that one.

Isn't she awesome?

That's a "Death Wolf."

The "Death Wolf"?

Yeah,
it's an old hill folk legend.

You haven't heard of it?

Oh, we don't believe
in that haint stuff.

Death Wolf's no ghost, honey.

You know,
they say that she walks

the border between
this life and the next,

hunting for lost souls.

If she catches you,
she will eat you.

And shit you out in hell.

Nice.

My wife's the Devil
worshipper in the family.

Really? 'Cause I'm gonna get
five grand for that painting.

George, could you get some
lemonade from the cellar?

Yeah. Yeah, sure.

You show your grandma this?

What?

Yes or no, boy!
Has she seen it?

No!

All right, come with me.

Uncle Ian,
you smell like whiskey.

You ever drink alcohol, George?

No.

Yeah, I didn't think so. I was about
your age when I started drinking.

I'm not kidding.

You think I'm a class-A
butthole, don't you?

It's all right.

I don't hold it
against you, George.

It's most folks' opinion.

But you're the closest
thing I have to a son,

so I want you to
listen to me now, okay?

Hey! You listen,
all right?

Now what did my sister tell
you about your grandmother?

Hmm?
She says she's a good mama?

Made us lemon cake?

Put Band-Aids on our boo-boos?
Right? Yeah?

Yeah.

Well, that's her story.

'Cause your mama ran off and she
joined the army when she was 18.

And she never saw
how awful they got.

How awful what got?

Grandma's bad spells.

Well, she had little ones
when we were young kids.

One moment she'd just be
all kisses and whispers.

And then she'd turn on you
like a rattlesnake.

Now, your mama was
really strong, like you.

You know, she could handle her.

But when she left,

it was just me and Jinny.
She sat us down and she says,

"Ain't no more of
my kids leaving me.

"Come hell or high water."

Jinny was fine with it at first.

You know, she was the most
like your grandma.

But things got complicated.

Let me show you something.

There's your Aunt Jinny.

With her boyfriend, Terry Clay.

They were so in love.
It was beautiful.

Your grandma didn't like it.

She said, "There is no way in
hell I'm letting you go, Jinny."

But Jinny stood up to her.
She said, "I'm moving out.

"I'm getting married,
I love this man."

What did Grandma say?

"Enjoy your honeymoon."

Yeah, I didn't think
much about it,

till they went
camping near Holly River.

Jinny said they'd
be gone two days.

A week later,
the rangers found 'em.

Papers called it a bear attack.

What was left of Terry
you could've fit in a shoebox.

And your Aunt Jinny,

they found her
hiding up in a tree.

And she screamed.

She screamed all the way to
the goddamn nuthouse, George.

Now,

let me ask you something.

What kind of a bear

tears apart half a forest,

and doesn't leave
one goddamn track?

I don't know.

You know, I never wanted
to stay in this shithole town.

But that old bitch...

No, Uncle Ian. You can't possibly
think that Grandma could have any...

Boy! Listen to me!

This is a warning. Your Aunt
Jinny is just like your grandma.

She sees things.

None of us are gonna rest easy

till that old fucking
bitch is in the ground.

You got it?
Yeah, I got it.

Grandma, you ever hurt anyone?

How about some chocolate?

I know you're not supposed
to have any but I snuck some.

Will you eat it for me?

Eat it for Mom?

For Hastur?

Hastur.

Hastur.

Grandma?

Can't wait to
get out of this house.

Why?

It's just so creepy.

It's different, you know?
From how it used to be?

Mom tell you
what happened today?

No, what happened?

I was feeding Grandma and...

Then she started talking to me.

It was gibberish.

No. It sounded
like a real language.

Like Middle Eastern
or something.

You think Grandma's part Arab?

Maybe I should make couscous.

This isn't a joke!

She was herself, Buddy.

Maybe that chlorpromazine
stuff is making her sick?

Are you a doctor?

No.
Then stay out of it.

You're just gonna
make things worse.

But what if...
No ifs.

I'm telling you as your
brother, leave it alone.

Oh, you're up.

Where'd you get that?

Right. Our little secret.

You want your medicine?

No, Grandma. Grandma,
I can't throw it out.

I know, I don't like it either,
but it's for your own good.

Stop!

Grandma, stop! Stop!

Stop! Stop!

Stop! Stop.

Stop.

Help me.

Come on, George.
You ready to go?

There you go, Mama.

Babysitter's here.

It's about time.

Why do I have to go shopping?
My old coat's just fine.

Yeah, I can smell it from here.

We will be back
in a couple hours.

Try not to burn the place down.

Yes, Mom.

Come on, let's just have a look.
Uh, hey, Mom?

Can I catch up with you?

There's something I want to
check out at the bookstore.

All right, just don't be too long.
Okay.

So, what brings you around here?

My grandma's been my best
friend my whole life.

Now, people are
telling me things.

So, why come to me?

I saw you at her house.

Anyway, that's your job,
isn't it?

Telling folks what to believe.

No one wants to
believe bad things

about the people they love, son.

You think Abel wanted to
believe Cain was a murderer?

So you're saying
love's a bad thing?

No.

I'm saying people do more evil in the
name of love than anything else.

This is your grandma's Bible.

You guys were friends?

Best friends.

She and your grandpa
helped me build this church.

She was the most Christian
woman I've ever met.

What happened?

She loved something too much.

Children.

She wanted them
more than anything.

But the good Lord
decided not to give her any.

Mercy!

Miscarriage.
Just like the others.

I'm sorry, Frank.

She ain't ever
gonna be a mother.

Now you have to understand,

this was a woman who served
God every day of her life.

She could not fathom why
he had deserted her.

So, in time, she decided
to look elsewhere.

What do you mean?

I don't hold with
these local superstitions.

But there have been times when I've
looked out at those mountains,

and I know there's something
up there staring back.

Something old.

Mean.

Folks say
that if God won't help,

what's up there will welcome
you with open arms.

All I know is, your grandmother
climbed up into those rocks.

And when she came back down...

Mercy!

Nothing was the same.

Well, you sure fooled me.

We might even be talking twins.

Now it's a little early,
so I wanna keep an eye on you.

But I don't see why
we can't celebrate.

Looks like we hit the jackpot.

Are you ready for number three?

She got what she wanted.

But there was a price.

He became the town drunk.

Beat three of my
congregation half to death.

All I could do

was tell him to stay away.

Oh. Shh.

The end was inevitable.

Frank?

We both wanted a baby.

A month after your grandpa died,

she found gold
on her land. Gold!

The next year, we had a drought.

Her farm was
the only one spared.

Decade after decade,
no matter how bad things were,

your grandmother
always did very well.

And every time, she'd get a little
meaner, she'd get a little nastier.

She was trading in
the good bits of herself

to get what she wanted.

If you thought she was so bad,
then why'd you keep her Bible?

Love is blind.

Well, maybe I'm blind, too.

She threw that Bible at me
just after your grandpa died.

Swore she'd never set foot
in my church again.

I've been praying for 50 years for
her to come back and claim it.

Maybe it's your turn to pray.

"It's your turn to pray."

Jesus Christ! See, this is
why we don't go to church.

Well, what was I supposed to do?

You could've come to me!

You never talk about Grandma!

He's right.

All right, what do
you wanna know?

Did she ever hurt you?

Badly?

I'm still here, aren't I?

That's not an answer.
Are you a mother?

No, but... Then how the
hell would you know what it's like?

Raising three kids alone,
no husband, no family.

When you got 104 degrees fever

but you still got to change
three sets of diapers?

You think you'd be able to
keep your cool all the time?

Your grandma could be mean.

And she could be rough, and
I hated her guts sometimes.

But she never backed
down from her duty.

But Uncle Ian said...

Uncle Ian is a pinhead.

Do you know I carried
him and Jinny for 17 years

and all they could do was blame me
and Grandma for their problems?

"Oh, I've had such
a hard life."

"Well, boo hoo.
Grow up and deal with it."

If there's one thing
I learned in the army,

it's that you take
responsibility for yourself.

Then how come you ran away?

Lanning!

He killed her! He killed...

It's not her blood.

You okay?

So, now they're saying Uncle
Ian died of an aneurism

from all that drinking.

He hated her, right?

And he was drunk.

He put his hands around her
throat and started squeezing.

You sound like you're trying to
convince yourself of something.

What do you know?

You're just a figment
of my imagination.

Is that all you think I am?

Tell me what to do, then.
Help me!

This is your fight, George.
You have to finish it first.

What's happening to you?

She's gonna need one of us
close now all the time.

So, we'll have
to sleep in shifts.

You mean it's a death watch.

Can you give us a minute?

Hey, George.

I'm sorry.

It's not your fault she...

No, I mean, I'm, I'm sorry.

She's been closer to you
than I ever was. And...

I wanna change that.

Will you help me change that?

Must've been where
the fight started.

Maybe we shouldn't open it.

What, you think it's gonna shoot out
bolts of lightning or something?

One,

two, three.

What's it say?

Nothing.

We're wasting our time.

Charlotte's into all this stuff.

She's gotta know something.

Jim? Charlotte?

We shouldn't be here.

No, it's fine.

Jim said, "Come any time."

George, they're not here.
We should go.

Here, see if you can
find anything in that.

What should I look for?

Books with raindrops.

No raindrops.

What about "Tears"?

No tears.

"Weeping," "Sobbing."

Here's "Weeping."

Yeah, Weeping Book.

"During the witch hunts
of the Middle Ages,

"anyone caught with
a magic-related book

"was routinely
burned at the stake.

"Legend has it that necromancers

"created a special type of book
that could avoid detection.

"While the manuscript's
pages appeared blank,

"text was actually written in
an ink that only became visible

"upon contact with
the salt of human tears.

"Hence the term
'Weeping Book'."

"An individual was required
to cry upon its pages

"while praying for the thing
that one most wanted.

"Words would then appear
describing the necromantic rite

"needed to procure
what one desired."

World hunger.

Darfur.

Julia Child.

Julia Child?
She died too young.

You're supposed to cry over
something you want, you dumb-ass!

What'd you think of?

If there was
a way to cure Grandma.

Well, look at it this way. It'll
make a really great diary.

Buddy, wait!

What are you doing?
What do you think I'm doing?

We don't know what chopping
this thing up will do.

You'd rather keep it around?

You really think
that's gonna solve anything?

No, but I sure feel more...

Buddy! Mom!

Come here, come on!

Mom!

Here we go, here we go.
Argh!

Okay, baby...

Mom, wait!

Stay with Grandma!
What?

You know we can't
leave her alone.

Mom, please.
I'm really scared.

Call Jim! Have him come over.

Call Jim!

Mom, let's go!

Jim, it's George.
Third message.

Just wondering when you're
gonna be coming over.

Please call me.

Grandma?

Jim?

It's here.

Grandma, there's nothing.

What's here?

The Death Wolf.

Okay, Grandma,
just stay, just stay...

No, no, no. Stay here.

Hastur!

It's coming! It's coming!

Mom?

It's your Aunt Jinny.
She came to me, George.

Mercy's spirit.
She told me what it was.

It's you, George.
It's always been you.

What?

She held it up as
long as she could.

But, please. You have to get
away as far as possible.

You've gotta get
out of the house.

I busted out of the hospital.
I had to hurt some people.

Remember Dead Tree Hill?
Jinny...

Just down the road from Grandma's.
Meet me there tonight.

If you see him, make the sign...
Jinny!

Make the sign of the cross!

Get away from me!
Jinny!

Oh, no.

Come on, get up.

Come on, come on,
Grandma, get up.

I can't lift you on my own,
Grandma. Come on!

Oh, no, no, no.
Grandma, wake up!

Wake up.
It was just your medicine.

Please, wake up. Grandma,
it was just your medicine.

Please, wake up.

No...

No...

911 Emergency.

Yeah. This is George,
Mercy McCoy's grandson.

She's just...

Please hold.

What is happening?

Help me!

I can't.

He's keeping me out.

What do I do?

Get the ax in the cellar.

Break down the doors.

Hastur...

Jim!

Jim!

Back up for a second.
You said she tried to cut you?

No, she tried to eat me!

Eat you? Like, like the
pictures in the Weeping Book.

And then
I grabbed the verbena plant

and I burned her face with it.

You fought her off
with a houseplant?

It was a demon, Jim.

And the Death Wolf came after me

and I ran and...
You believe me, right?

I don't know.

Charlotte.

I used to think it was
just crap to tell tourists.

But...

But what? The kid's
scared half to death.

He wouldn't have
imagined any of this

if you hadn't told him
those goddamn stories.

Don't blame me! What he's saying
is different from the stories.

What do you mean?

The Death Wolf isn't a demon.

It's meant to go
after wicked folk.

Why would it go after you?

Uncle Lanning.

What?

I switched out Grandma's
drugs for saline.

She must've gotten
some of her strength back.

She killed him, Jim.

I helped her kill my uncle.

George, you didn't
help try to kill anyone.

Then how else do you explain it?

You said you left
me messages, right?

There's nothing on my cell.

Isn't it possible that maybe...

I don't know, you imagined
or dreamed all this?

No, it's true.
And it's all real.

I called you.

Call the police.

And tell them what?

Do you think they're
gonna believe this story?

They'll lock us up.

I don't care about the police.

I just wanna see my mom.

Ah, you got it, my man.

Let's go see your mom.

What's the matter?

Jim.

Why couldn't you have
just stayed put, huh?

Why?

What?

Look, this is not
what you think.

You're like a son to me.

You know how much
I tried to turn her down?

Turn her down for what?

What the hell was she gonna
give you, Jim? A new camera?

You're just a kid.

You don't know what it's like...
Look at me.

You don't know what
it's like to love someone

and not be able to be with them.

You have no idea.

She promised you my mom?

No.

Hastur did.

Hey! Don't.

Son, please, don't.

Come on! Shoot me.
George!

Stop!
Shoot me, you asshole!

George!

George!

Aunt Jinny!

Aunt Jinny.

Jinny, finally!

Oh, no, no!

Hello?

- George?
- Mom?

George, what are you...
George, where are you?

Mom?

Where's Aunt Jinny?

George?

George?
Look I can't find Grandma

- and the house is all messed up and...
- Oh, my God!

You could just keep running.

It'd be suicide to go back.

You know that.

I have to try.

What if you fail?
Who's gonna help then?

Mom?

Mom, wake up. Please.
Please, wake up.

Come on!

Hastur.

Grandma, please! There's got
to be something left of you.

Hastur.

Stop! Hastur did this to you!

This isn't you!

Forget Hastur!
You're my grandmother!

You're Mercy!

Mom.

That's what you want?

You have to be brave.

You have to stand up.

I love you, Grandma.

Georgie?

I love you too, Georgie.

Grandma?

The deal Grandma made came
from a strong need for family.

The truth is I would've never
been born, if she hadn't done it.

So, in a strange way,

even the darkest things
in life can be a blessing.

But, no matter what
challenges we face,

we'll face them as a family.

Just like Grandma wanted.