It could do better...

Rating: 6/10 (15 January 2014)

This is a difficult film to assess. I enjoyed it for what it was, which is an efficient horror film that'll give you the creeps and has child actors who WON'T make you want to gouge your eyes out. At the same time, I thought it could've gone further in terms of the scenario, but was limited in scope... both by trying to appeal to a mass market, and the need to get a low rating so irresponsible adults could take their kids to see it. Just like Chuck Norris refusing to take part in The Expendables 2 unless they ditched the bad language and graphic violence. They should have just let him go...
Mama is not exactly a terrifying creation... we've seen plenty of nasties like her in this genre before. What makes the movie is the introduction, which is brilliant and sets the scene perfectly, and the atmosphere... full of dark shadows and foreboding... check out what goes on in the background, too. After a while though, an air of predictability descends, we are able to guess who'll survive, what each character will decide to do, where Mama is gonna appear next... and it all becomes rather humdrum. A very nice attempt, but lacking in ambition stops it from reaching it's full potential. 6/10