Mama (*** out of ****)

First time feature film director Andres Muschietti has made one of the scariest horror movies in recent memory. Veteran Guillermo Del Toro helped get the film off the ground and you can see his fingerprints scattered throughout the film. Last year Del Toro aided in Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, which felt like it was a english made Del Toro horror film (then again he did help write the screenplay), Mama is more of a straight horror movie with some inspiration by Del Toro mechanics. Whatever it is the film has character development, genuine terror, a sense of constructed lore, great visuals, and an understanding of what goes bump in the night.

Two young girls are found in a cabin in the woods after being missing for five years. Professionals are dumbfounded by how they survived. The girl's uncle Lucas (Nicolaj Coster-Waldau) wants to take care of them, much to the dismay of his serious girlfriend Annabelle (Jessica Chastain). However the girl's didn't come to their new home alone. 

Mama has a clear sense of purpose. It's telling a theme of motherhood in the horror world. It largely succeeds at this. The scare mechanics are also very well done. Some jump scares but refreshingly there is plenty of atmosphere scares as well. If there is a sound from another room, there is actually something threatening there. This way there is the sense that anything could go wrong at any given moment. Some will argue that showing "Mama" too early ruins the terror from the mystery. You see the argument in many horror films, when do you show the monster? It doesn't when if what you build around it is good. "Mama" feels threatening from the beginning and does through almost the entire film, Muschietti does fine with it. There are however some loose plot points here. This creates a decent amount of confusion. So character's behave foolishly but it's not clear if these people are that way or if there is something missing from the film. Perhaps with some deleted scenes or an extended version things will be cleared up. Regardless Mama is a heart racer. 

*** out of ****