The Horror Show
Mama
by Andrés Muschietti
If only Mama had limited its duration to 50 minutes. Frankly, it’s a horror movie that can induce a great deal of fright and unease to the viewer, as it offers fun moments of mystery, horror and agony. However, all this excitement goes away as we reach the end and unfortunately the last 15 minutes or so can cause a great deal of disappointment.
The widely popular actress Jessica Chastain stars in Mama and portrays the role of Annabel, a rockstar living a carefree, crazy life with her boyfriend Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). The two of them undertake the task of taking care of Lucas' two nieces, Victoria and Lilly, a few years after their parents’ death. The little girls had been lost for five years and had found shelter in a hut in the middle of the woods. Who – or even better, what - kept them alive all these scary years is the dark and hellish shadow of a woman.
The two orphans had survived for five years and had lived like wild animals, but now they are taken back home to Annabel and Lucas, their only relatives. Unfortunately for them, Mama, or at least the ghost that has been taking care of them all these years, is not willing to let them go without a fight. The special bond that Lilly starts to develop with Annabel will anger the ghost and will be the cause of the mayhem that will follow.
A big house in the suburbs is the setting of Mama, which is something quite common within the genre – there are lots of stairs that the characters can fall from, many pictures are hung on the walls and could potentially get smashed, and, of course, there are lots of closets to hide in.
Mama is quite intense and eerie, and that’s why it can be particularly enjoyable. In the beginning, before director Andrés Muschietti tries to give sense to the haunting activities, the atmosphere is really gloomy and creepy. Is young Lilly, the little wild girl who has only known of the cruel life in the woods, the one to keep an eye on? Or is there something else more evil and deadly?
As the film progresses, it becomes clear that Mama is inside the house, haunting their life and watching the girls as if she’s their own mother. Annabel, of course, is an unwelcome competition in her eyes.
A blurry figure of a ghost is always thrilling to watch. That's what makes Mama a gripping horror movie. But as I mentioned before, this captivating horror and the scary haunting scenes fail to endure throughout.
The very ending of the movie is something of a big disappointment. What was thrilling to watch - and that is the blurry figure of Mama - becomes silly, as the clear image of the ghost is neither scary nor realistic.
Maria Kriva, HMS
The Horror Show Menu.