Mama

2013·100 minPG-13·English

Rate

6.25763%2.8/5

Stream

Rent & Buy

Guillermo del Toro presents Mama, a supernatural thriller that tells the haunting tale of two little girls who disappeared into the woods the day that their parents were killed. When they are rescued years later and begin a new life, they find that someone or something still wants to come tuck them in at night.

What critics thought

A mixed-reception horror film that leans on atmosphere and fairy-tale dread rather than gore, Mama drew praise for Muschietti's visual craft and the spooky, del Toro-flavored tone, while critics were more divided over a script full of familiar genre moves and contrived plotting. Its scare sequences land for many viewers, but the derivative imagery and narrative shortcuts kept it from crossing into genuinely acclaimed territory.

“Mama lifts almost every one of its fear-factor visuals from earlier films: the rotting black passageways that spread like mold over the walls (very Ringu meets Repulsion); the fire in her eyes; the crouched figures that skitter and pounce à la the infamous 'spider' outtake from the original Exorcist; the way that Mama, with her arms like smoky-shadowy bent tendrils, evokes both the monster from the Alien films and also, in a funny way, the crumpled-puppet gothic mischievousness of Tim Burton animation. Nothing in the movie is quite original, yet Muschietti, expanding his original short, knows how to stage a rip-off with frightening verve.”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
“Movies like Mama are thrill rides. We go to be scared and then laugh, scared and then laugh, scared and then shocked. Of course, there's almost always a little plot left over for a sequel. It's a ride I'd take again.”
Richard Roeper·Chicago Sun-Times
“This is a fine first film for director Andrés Muschietti and, despite some missteps and disappointments, very well could be a harbinger of interesting things to come for the helmer.”
Scott Corulla·IGN
“Director Andres Muschietti is cinematically literate – in one example he borrows a flashbulb effect from Hitchcock's Rear Window – and he has visual panache. Much of the movie is surprisingly beautiful.”
Mick LaSalle·Houston Chronicle

Genres

Horror

Cast & Crew

Andy MuschiettiDirector

Jessica ChastainAnnabel

Nikolaj Coster-WaldauLucas Desange

Megan CharpentierVictoria Desange

Isabelle NélisseLilly Desange

Daniel KashDr. Dreyfuss

Melina MatthewsMama (voice)

Morgan McGarryYoung Victoria

Javier BotetMama (body)

Jane MoffatJean Podolski / Mama (Voice)

David FoxBurnsie

Dominic CuzzocreaRon

Julia ChantreyNina

Fernando VelázquezComposer

Barbara MuschiettiWriter

Neil CrossWriter

Antonio RiestraCinematography

Mama

2013·100 min·PG-13·English

Rate

6.25763%2.8/5

What critics thought

“Mama lifts almost every one of its fear-factor visuals from earlier films: the rotting black passageways that spread like mold over the walls (very Ringu meets Repulsion); the fire in her eyes; the crouched figures that skitter and pounce à la the infamous 'spider' outtake from the original Exorcist; the way that Mama, with her arms like smoky-shadowy bent tendrils, evokes both the monster from the Alien films and also, in a funny way, the crumpled-puppet gothic mischievousness of Tim Burton animation. Nothing in the movie is quite original, yet Muschietti, expanding his original short, knows how to stage a rip-off with frightening verve.”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
“Movies like Mama are thrill rides. We go to be scared and then laugh, scared and then laugh, scared and then shocked. Of course, there's almost always a little plot left over for a sequel. It's a ride I'd take again.”
Richard Roeper·Chicago Sun-Times
“This is a fine first film for director Andrés Muschietti and, despite some missteps and disappointments, very well could be a harbinger of interesting things to come for the helmer.”
Scott Corulla·IGN
“Director Andres Muschietti is cinematically literate – in one example he borrows a flashbulb effect from Hitchcock's Rear Window – and he has visual panache. Much of the movie is surprisingly beautiful.”
Mick LaSalle·Houston Chronicle