Horror Film Spotlight: Mama

We watch movies for different reasons—sometimes to go on a journey, sometimes to fall in love, and sometimes to scare our pants off. Horror Film Spotlight focuses on the ones that keep us up at night, whether they star restless ghosts or psychotic ax murderers. Some are spooky and some are gory, but they’re all full of that shadow-in-the-doorway, voice-in-the-dark sense that something’s just not quite right. And what’s scarier than that?

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Synopsis

Lucas Desange (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) has been searching for his nieces ever since their unstable father loaded the girls into his car and ran it off a snowy highway. Their bodies were never recovered, and five years after the girls disappeared, a rescue party finally discovers Victoria and Lilly (Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nélisse) living on their own in an abandoned cabin. Lucas is ready to bring them home, but his girlfriend Annabel (Jessica Chastain) isn’t so sure; the girls are practically feral, but something was caring for them all those years in the woods. And now that something has followed them home….

 Why You Should Watch It

Plain old eerie with a side of terrifying, Mama is worth watching for its creepy atmosphere and special effects alone. But it’s also a heartwarming story about the power of family and motherhood. Annabel, who at first wants nothing to do with the girls, grows to love them and even risks her life trying to save them. Mama herself won’t be winning any parenting awards, but there’s no question about her motives: she genuinely loves Victoria and Lilly. The ghosts make this film memorable, and the emotional hook makes it satisfying. Whether you’re looking for a good scare or something a little deeper, you’re sure to find it in Mama.

A ghost is an emotion bent out of shape, condemned to repeat itself time and time again until it rights the wrong that was done.

Have you seen Mama? What did you think?