Review of Mama (2013) by Jared S — 20 Oct 2018

If not for director Guillermo del Toro and lead actress Jessica Chastain, Mama might have fell by the wayside to join a plethora of other mediocre to bad scary movies. Luckily, however, del Toro knows how to scare us, and Chastain's acting is always flawless (see The Help and Zero Dark Thirty). Those reasons, plus a truly creepy story line, make Mama a little better than mediocre.

The ball doesn't really get rolling with the scares until around the middle of the movie. Until then, you're hit with only a few dud frights. They're meant to make you jump, but seasoned pro's will find them too predictable. The movie makes up for it later, however, in grandiose fashion, while keeping you on your feet as you try to decide what happened to two children who were left abandoned, for years fending for themselves. Well, not entirely for themselves. Meet Mama. Mama is a ghostly mom, pissed off because she doesn't know what happened to her own child. She follows the children as they are discovered and moved into a new home with Chastain's character.

Wait. There's a sign up ahead... What's it say? Spookville, that's what. Of course, no one suspects a ghost is hanging around. Not at first. The children keep talking about someone they call Mama, but all logical adults believe Mama is just a character they made up during their abandonment. Guess again. There are plenty of good frights leading up to what should be a monumental conclusion. Too bad it comes up short. Still, there is enough meat left on the bones to make this one worth your while. Just don't go crying to Mama.