Children in Horror movies are creepy (Review for my Films and Theatre Class)

Rating: 9/10 (20 January 2013)

Children in horror movies are always creepy. From creepy orphans to children's laughter, it has been socially accepted that children makes any horror movie creepier than it would be without it. A new psychological horror masterpiece that takes advantage of eerie environments and spine-tingling sound-effects is the first feature length movie of Andres Muschietti. Based on the short film he created a few years back of the same title; Mama (2013), tells the story of two orphaned girls that miraculously survived five years in a cabin in the wilderness because of a sorrowing mother who feeds them cherries and protects them from danger. It truly shows that a mother's love goes beyond life itself.
Victoria (Megan Charpentier), and Lilly (Isabelle Nelisse) are left for dead after their estranged father went ballistic after his company went bankrupt killing his partners and his wife. Their uncle Lucas (Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau) and his girlfriend Annabel (Jessica Chastain) won the custody of these almost feral children, after five years of searching in the woods; as well as a supernatural being, the children call 'Mama,' that will haunt them until they figure out why Mama is so attached to the two girls and how they can bring Mama to peace.
Chastain's character is the rocker girlfriend that did not want to be a mother yet learns to love and understand the two girls. Charpentier's character is the older of the two sisters that becomes the bridge between Mama and Annabel. Charpentier's acting is impressive, however; Nelisse, the younger of the two, is even more impressive. Her character is the most feral of the two where she reverted to animalistic behaviour. Acting in an animalistic manor, including making animal noises and walking on all fours, is difficult especially to a young girl.
The direction of Muschietti is superb for a new director especially for a psychological horror that follows the generic plot of other famous movies such as The Orphanage (2007) and Orphan (2009) where orphans are usually associated with a super natural being or power that causes havoc to the people around them. Cinematography is as equally important as direction. Mama (2013) does some cool things when it comes to scaring the pants off of its audience. It uses its sound effects very well, and one sound might have been inspired by Ju-On: The Grudge (2002). The sound of a creaking door became associated with fear right after Ju-On: The Grudge (2002) was released. In Mama (2013), the sound that signifies that Mama is near is the cracking of bones. The movie created a scene that is similar to the Hangar 51 scene at the end of Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). The atmosphere of the storage on both scenes was similar where it shows that any of the boxes in storage holds their individual mysteries.
Mama (2013) is different from the recent horror movies where blood, gore, and a madman were the main way to scare the audience. Mama (2013) is your classic psychological horror where jump scares, eerie environments and sounds dominate the scene. Mama (2013) is a must see for any lover of psychological thriller.