Mama
Children is horror movies have been a staple for a long time. Ever since Linda Blair revolved her head around and vomiting her pre-pubscence in The Exorcist, or blond haired creepy children spooked a whole village and the devils son was born into the loving arms of Gregory Peck. It come to a point where we no longer trust children and every scared visit to the playground ends up with a roundhouse kick to the face of some spoiled brats. I don’t care what the police said, it was for the good of humanity. So don’t trust any chubby cheeked and chocolate smeared kid that comes giggling into your home – there is sure a demon lurking.
This is double the case in Spanish/American horror movie Mama. Jessica Chastain and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau star as a couple whose life is turned upside down when they are force to adopt his long lost brother’s children. Unfortunately, what transpired is that the dead brother in question had kidnapped his children, murdered his wife and attempted to kill his kids. However, luckily for their kids, there was an entity keeping an eye on them. An entity that doesn’t want to let go of the children, no matter how safe they may be. And that spirit, known only as Mama, will kill all who get in her way.
Why Is It Bad?
There doesn’t seem to be a horror movie recently that really excels or impacts enough. Sure enough, it builds the right tension for the frights to take you aback but they never follow through with it like they should. Unlike The Conjuring, it leaves the thrills floating in the atmosphere that it wasted much time building. A large part of this has to do with the special effects because they reveal too much. Far too much. Instead of creeping in the corner with twisted joints and jerky “out of the corner of your eye” moments, they do this massive showdown that just feels wrong.
Why Is It Good?
There acting is really good. They are able to coerce the dark side of the story alongside the emotional backbone. Chastain is truly wonderful in everything she does, which turns into remarkable and visceral performance from her, especially as her character is opposed to the initial assimilation to family life. Alongside Coster-Waldau, they really enthuse the story with this tinge of family and banding together. But it really is the work of the two children. They scare with these little nuances that they have developed because of Mama, their isolation and supernatural upbrining has taken a toll. As they try to re-shape their lives, the skill of Isabelle Nelisse and Megan Charpentier evokes horror and touching moments.
It’s good but not great and definitely could have been done better. The story line soon dissolves and the beast of “Mama” is a clichéd one. There are dizzying moments and disappointing missteps that really take away from the tension that is delicately weaved here. But hey, if you have a wuss of a friend or want to zone out without turning all the lights off, this is the film for you.