A directly heated mercury film electrode (MFE) extends the operational capabilities of the hot layer technique to a wide range of electroanalytical systems. Wires or layers of gold and platinum have been used as sensors so far, but they were suitable only for the analysis of a small number of metals. The development of a heated MFE is described, including electrode construction and mercury deposition procedures. The thermal properties of the sensor were investigated. As a first application, cadmium was determined by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) with the result of an improved signal-to-background ratio.