Mama

I've been fascinated with scary movies since before I can remember. My first experience with fear in cinema was Gremlins. Laugh if you must, but I was 6 and those are some creepy little creatures. Ever since then, I've enjoyed aliens, serial killers, nightmares, the mentally ill, and even the newly popular "found footage" version of scary. Very few movies can elicit a true fright however. It's a very difficult genre to do right, as there's always some continuity flaw, or defunct character decision. This isn't to mention the all-too-often cheesy creature or monster that disappoints when they finally see screen time.

Thinking back, there are just a handful of movies that were legitimately scary during first viewing. The Shining, The Exorcist, Alien, the Sixth Sense, and in 2002, The Ring. It's been a full 11 years since a scary movie was truly worth of that title. I haven't had the hair stand up on my neck since then. Remember the girl coming through the television? That's scary.

Mama brings back some of the classic elements of fear, but with some new special effects, enhanced acting and direction, and a decent story. There is a distinct Guillermo Del Toro influence, particularly near the end, when our haunting specter is filling the screen with her shrill creepiness. Del Toro's name blankets the advertisements, but Andres Muschietti is the writer and director. He created a short film titled Mama in 2008 (haven't seen it), and gets to show his creation in a full feature. I'm glad he did.

The story starts with the stock market crash of 2008, when a wealthy investor shoots up his office, comes home and kills his wife, and then takes his two daughters out to the woods to kill them and then himself. Grim start. However, something happens in the woods which leaves the two girls alone (or are they?) to fend for themselves for five years before they are discovered.

After a failed psychological evaluation, they are remanded to the custody of their uncle and his girlfriend, played incredibly by Hollywood's current darling, Jessica Chastain. She channels Lisbeth Salandar with tattoos and a punk pixie haircut, but we can forgive her because her character has more depth than that.

Reluctant and non-committal, Chastain becomes the mother figure to these two feral children, and the children slowly begin to accept her. This is when things go awry.

The children claim that they were protected in the woods by a character only described as "Mama" and the psychologists shrug it off as trauma, and insist that the older sister created the character and assumed its identity. Not so much.

Until this point, you're probably thinking "Whatever. Not scary." I agree wholeheartedly, but there is something inherently frightening about children in altered states, and the two actresses convey amazingly what it would be like to be savage and wild. You even become fearful of their behavior and think "what is the doctor thinking, letting them go home with an unsuspecting family?"

Classic horror cliches abound; waking up with a child hovering over, just watching. Having things pop up behind characters, walking in the woods. At night. Alone. Why? Scary nonetheless. And of course, the most cliche and scary of all. Solitary curiosity that leads to nothing but trouble.

Jessica Chastain doesn't conform to the stereotypes of the protagonist. She recreates it as a strong, yet unsuspecting normal person, who reacts in ways that a normal person would. You sense her cynical apprehension toward the kids, as she's a punk rocker, not a mother type. But at the same time, you really see her compassion grow naturally over time as the kids are victims, and not the real perpetrators of fear.

Muschietti delivers the film in a very predictable way, but it's fine. Lots of buildup, little glimpses of the antagonist (particularly the scene under the bed) until it's time to showcase her. She is damn creepy, but not overly done. Not cheesy or campy at all. Exceptional visual effects worthy of awards mention.

My only gripes are that as the film winds down, so does the anxiety. They could have come up with a better climax that would have maintained the tone of the first hour and a half, and that wouldn't have just been the bow on top of the package. Fine, here it is. The end is disappointing. There, I said it.

That said, it's a great ride. A fun movie with lots of jumps and jolts, a solid leading actress, and two incredibly creepy children. The older sibling, Megan Charpentier, is a seasoned actress with 21 roles to her credit. The younger, Isabelle Nelisse is just starting her career, with just 3 roles, but both are incredible. If you like scary, you'll like Mama. Just don't expect the ending to be too satisfying. 8/10.