It has a spooky atmosphere, a wicked story and a solid performance by Jessica Chastain as a woman who is trying to solve the mystery of how her boyfriend’s nieces survived in the wilderness for five years and why they still seem to be haunted by a menacing ghost they call “Mama.” No fair revealing more plot details. But you should know that “Mama” is the American feature debut of director Andres Muschietti, whose 2008 short of the same name was well received (you can watch it on Youtube). The feature length movie, produced by non other than Guillermo Del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”, “The Orphanage”) doesn’t always stay on track, but it knows how to fry your nerves, mostly because it decides it can haunt an audience without spraying it with blood. This is major as far as I’m concerned and even though the movie doesn’t break new ground, it still works you over with riveting restraint. What more can you ask for?
Rating: 2.5/4
Categories: 2.5/4, horror, The Twenty-First Century
For a film coming from the production bags of Guillerme Del Toro one would expect a spooky film, with thrilling events and creatures of its own… this film is a miles away from Orphanage or Pans Labyrinth… or even Splice… this film manages nothing but a good performance by Chastain apart from that it is a low life shot at a C movie if anything, it has no horror traits to it… no plot taste and well if the lack of blood were replaced by something gripping or at least mesmerizing then this would have been an Awesome movie… but to be honest this was one of my highly anticipated films… and all I got for it was a waste of time and Guillerme Del Toro should come back from this one with a Better PINOCCHIO or at least something that is as chilling as The Orphanage