Mama - A slightly flawed yet effective ghost story

Rating: 7/10 (19 January 2013)

Annabel is not ready to be a mother. She's a bass player in a punk rock band, she's dating Lucas, who is a starving artist as well, and she thanks the lord above that she's not pregnant. But on that same morning of reassurance that an impending pregnancy won't interrupt her rebellious and free-spirited life, Lucas gets the call that his nieces have been discovered in a cabin in the woods. Five years prior, they disappeared with their father after he killed their mother, and have survived by developing into feral creatures. Lucas, and a begrudging Annabel, fight in court to get custody of the socially handicapped little girls despite the fact that their therapist, Dr. Dreyfuss, doesn't think either of them are fit to be parents. But the alternative is the girls go with their only other family member, a great aunt that lives on the opposite coast, so he strikes a deal. He'll move them all into a house the hospital uses for transitioning families, all expenses paid, as long as he can continue to examine the girls. They begin to settle into their new lives as the girls come further and further out of their shell, only to discover that the girls are as alone in their bedrooms at night as they were in the woods.
Mama is a full-length adaptation of a two-minute film, both written and directed by Andres Muschietti. The film was so strong that Guillermo del Toro tasked the Spaniard with expanding the minimalistic narrative into a feature that is as scary and atmospheric as its inspiration. And I'm happy to say that, for the most part, he succeeded.
First of all are the negative aspects. All of the clichés are alive and well in Mama. Flickering lights, late night explorations sans flashlights or logic, characters that explain aspects of the story to come and then disappear, cheap jump scares rear their ugly head, and orchestral swells and crescendos dictate when to be scared. Mama doesn't make any attempts to reinvent the proverbial wheel of horror.
The good news is that all flaws aside, Mama ends up being very scary and surprisingly touching. Jessica Chastain fully commits to her role as Annabel and proves why she is one of today's rising stars. The development of her maternal instincts and emotional journey are wholly believable, and her chemistry with the two girls is excellent. Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nelisse, as Victoria and Lilly, turn in equally believable and touching performances as two girls trying to find their place between their adopted and spiritual mothers. Neither one of them is tasked with easy jobs as the psychologically damaged children, but both of them succeed in being reasonably creepy and disarmingly innocent. The girls also provide some needed humor that is well timed to diffuse some tension and then serves ratchet it right back up. The real star of the show though is Mama herself. While she is more CGI than practical effects, Mama still makes for an effective creature that moves like a tortured marionette. And thanks to a disturbing back story, she also makes for a ghostly villain you can empathize with on some levels. She is not just your average boogey (wo)man.
The cinematography in Mama is astounding at times. A lot of horror films utilize quick camera cuts and edits to provide scares or reveal what scares await off screen. But Muschietti goes through a lot of trouble to keep the camera rolling and keeping the characters in frame, which goes a long way to building the tension. There is a roughly 5 minute long tracking shot at the end of the 2nd act that is relentlessly intense. Mama also creates one of the most atmospheric and moving nightmare sequences in recent memory. And even if the flickering lights and dark hallways have all been seen before, they are still well lit and utilized.
For what it's worth, Mama doesn't get everything right. There are plot holes abound, side characters are forgotten as fast as they're introduced, and the clichés are as present as they've ever been. But I urge you to look past the flaws and give Mama a chance. The scares are efficient and well earned without feeling too cheap. The principal characters are well developed and easy to empathize with when the terror hits, including "mama" herself. I walked in expecting a few halfway decent scares, but I found myself drawn in to a deep and oddly moving ghost story. Will Mama be remembered ten years from now? In all likelihood, no it won't. But while you're watching it makes for one hell of a frightening ride.
I would score Mama as a 7 out of 10.