Decent ghost-based horror movie

Rating: 8/10 (1 March 2013)

We see suicidal Jeffrey take his daughters Victoria (3) and Lilly (1) deep into the woods, having killed their mother and his business partners, with the intention of killing them and then himself. Before he can do so, we see something through Victoria's spectacles-less eyes pull him away and break his neck. Jeffrey's brother Lucas never gives up looking for his disappeared family members and 5 years later the two girls, now feral, are found. Victoria's pre-existing speech skills enable her rehabilitation to be started relatively easily: Lilly remains fairly unreachable. Victoria attributes their survival to Mama, and the audience has a pretty good idea that Mama may well be more real than anyone suspects.
This is a good old-fashioned horror story, ghost based, and like all horror stories, it's as good as its monster. I found the monster here a good one. It provides a decent amount of teasing, sudden scares and the like, and manages to be both menacing and sympathetic. You also get a fair amount of "reveal" towards the end which may disappoint: for me, it didn't.
The cast is excellent. Jessica Chastain as Lucas' partner, stuck with substitute motherhood she didn't really want, as an effective central character, Nicolaj Coaster-Waldau is solid as both Jeffrey and Lucas, but it is the little girls who thrill. Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nelisse are both superb.
Credit also to Andres Muschietti â€“ his story and direction provide an effective, atmospheric and emotional film which provides much of what we expect, but doesn't always stick to the railroad tracks.