Exquisite acting, genuinely terrifying, just a little short of a true Horror masterpiece!

Rating: 9/10 (23 July 2019)

This has been my second time watching Mama, the first was a few years back before I took a fancy to documenting my Horror viewing experiencing. I must start off by saying that while I had remembered the film as pretty good, I didn't remember how remarkable and absolutely exquisite it had been! In a genre plagued by mediocrity and lack of innovation, Mama is a well overdue ray of terrifying darkness, giving the most distinguished titles of the past decade a fair and honest run for their money.
The story is creepy, discomforting and heart-squeezing from the start. In a dramatic and terrible turn of events two girls, aged around five and one, find themselves abandoned in an old secluded and decrepit wooden shack. About five years pass before they are finally found and allegedly rescued, five years during which they have miraculously survived. Or perhaps "miraculous" isn't the right way to put it, as whatever it is that watched over them might not be as benevolent as first thought to be. Then again, it obviously isn't evil (having been the sole factor responsible for the girls' survival)... Or is it?
Three things make Mama stand out and flaunt its artistic and horrifying value. First and foremost, the acting. Wow, the acting... While I've always been easily impressed by professional and authentic character-portrayal by younger actors and actresses, little Victoria (Megan Charpentier, 12 years old) and Lilly (Isabelle Nelisse, 10 years old) are by far two of the most talented young Horror actresses I've ever seen. Following the instructions of writer and director Andy Muschietti, they delivered a masterpiece performance of two little girls removed from human society and deprived of their very humanity, moving, sounding and behaving like beasts of the wild. Even if you watch the first 30 minutes or so and nothing more - Victoria and Lilly's predicament and Charpentier and Nelisse's incredible ability to show and deliver it to the audience are as terrifying as they are amazingly impressive.
Second, the smart use of audio effects. I've honestly never been as frightened by how a supernatural antagonist sounds, as opposed to how it looks. The guttural moans, the wimping, the cries and the shrieks of rage would make anyone uncomfortable at least, and terrified at most. Don't get me wrong, the antagonist and namesake of the film looks horrifying (I'll be getting to that soon), but it sounds even worse. Honestly, I could be blind and still have trouble sleeping after "watching" this.
And last but not least, Mama herself. I've been a devout Horror enthusiast for 20 years or so (I'm currently 34) and yet no ghost or creature on screen has ever given me greater chills than Javier Botet as Mama. She doesn't really appear supernatural, more unnatural or even sub-natural. Deformed, revolting and disheartening, the fear of seeing her on screen becomes one of the key Horror factors after the first time she appears. It's like, I wasn't afraid for the characters and of the story as I was of seeing her again, and that's a feature very few Horror antagonist can boast.
However, for the sake of objectivity and fairness, certain features of the film could (and indeed should) have been planned and executed better. First, as wisely noted by the review I've read here first (browser refreshed so I can't credit you, sorry!), the antagonist should have been kept more in the shadows, meaning appearing for split microseconds instead of 10 seconds. Seeing her for too long has really diminished her horrifying aura, which I find to be unfortunate. Second, while the ending is pretty realistic given the plot development and is as terrible and discomforting as a Horror ending should be, I couldn't help but feel the film missed the opportunity of a surprising twist (which to me is what makes good Horror great). Amending these two secondary yet significant shortcomings would have made for a solid 10 masterpiece.
All in all, Mama is one of the finest, most impressive and most terrifying Horror films I've ever had the terrible pleasure of watching. While this has only been my subjective opinion and others might find this film disappointing - I'd be committing a crime if I didn't recommend it to anyone and everyone who enjoys the occasional good fright. For a 90 minute Horror film currently available on Netflix it's as rewarding as any Horror fan could hope.