With the overabundance of horror films coming out, it's
difficult to decide what you should or should not watch. My son, a die hard
horror fan, found the recent THE PURGE a total disappointment and yet they got
his ticket money. So when a truly creepy, terrifying film comes out its only
natural that fans will pass the word along. Let me pass the word right now
about MAMA - I loved it!
The story opens with an investment banker having a
breakdown, killing his partners and his wife and then taking his daughters to a
secluded house in the woods where he intends to kill them and then himself.
Before he can follow through with this act he is whisked away by an unseen
force and the girls are left to fend for themselves...or with the help of their
unseen benefactor.
Fast forward 5 years and we come to Lucas (Nikolaj
Coster-Waldau), the girl's uncle, who has spent what resources he has on
someone searching for them. As the group is about to stop they do indeed find
the girls. At a clinic where they are being watched and taken care of Dr.
Dreyfuss (Daniel Kash) does his best to help the girls readjust to their new
surroundings. In doing so he later explains to Lucas that the girls seem to
have created an unseen friend called Mama. Eventually they're able to return to
their family and a battle for the girls between their aunt Jean and Lucas
results in Lucas having custody.
Along with his girlfriend Annabelle (Jessica Chastain), a
bass player in a rock band, they are aided by the doctor. He wants to continue
to treat the girls and knowing their aunt will move them across country, he
provides this new family with a home to stay in owned by the clinic he works
in. But his research isn't limited to the girls in the home. We witness him
traveling to a different city to look into the past of someone we're unaware of
yet.
At the home the girls seem a bit gun shy at first but slowly
begin to open up to Lucas. This doesn't last long as some unseen entity knocks
him over the railing at the top of the stairs and he ends up in the hospital.
Now Annabelle, who wants nothing to do with children, is left to oversee these
two. It's a slow adjustment but eventually she wins the trust of the girls and
the friendship of the elder of the pair, Victoria (Megan Carpentier). An
incident with the younger girl, Lilly (Isabelle Nelisse) breaks down her walls
as well.
But someone, or something, in the house still seems to
preoccupy the girls, most notably Lilly. We get not glimpses but a full on look
at just what is behind this but have no idea yet what is causing this image to
appear. I won't spoil it by saying just what that is but I will offer a word of
advice: if you scare easy, keep the blanket pulled close to your eyes. And if
you know someone who scares easy, make sure they don't have hold of your arm
for fear of an injury during one of the many scenes guaranteed to make you
jump.
This film is not just a scare fest but a film filled with
just the right tone to make your skin crawl at all the right moments and some
of the not right moments as well. Visions of "Mama" are certain to
become the things of nightmares for children whose parents allow them to watch
this film thinking that the PG-13 rating makes it safe for them. It isn't. They
will be scared. Come to think of it I might have to turn on my lights tonight
before going to bed.
The behind the scenes efforts on this film are tremendous.
The direction by Andres Muschietti is wonderful and he pulls some outstanding
performances not just from the adult actors but from the children in
particular. To think that children this young could pull off the job it takes
to make this believable and to make you care is amazing and they do it with
apparent ease.
The special effects seen here are also outstanding. They
convey the slow moving rot that appears from time to time and then blast you
out of your seat with one of the scariest visages in some time. Perhaps not
enough that you'll look away but enough that it will stick with you.
Readers will know after all these years that I am a fan of
horror, sometimes too much so. But this was one film that I know I'll be
watching more than once and enjoying each and every time. And while I enjoy it
there is one thing I know I'll do for at least the first few times around: keep
the lights on.
Click here to order.
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