In this article, the field of mercury film electrodes (MFE's) as electroanalytical devices is reviewed. Special emphasis is placed on the area of new materials as substrates for the mercury coating and the mercury plating process as well as on the developments related to the electrode modification used to achieve an increase in either the selectivity and/or the sensitivity of the analysis. Other topics discussed are microelectrodes, disposable electrodes and some novel, innovative or less well explored applications of electroanalytical methods using MFE's. The future prospects, potential uses and alternatives for MFE's in electroanalysis are finally discussed.