Good solid horror effort

Rating: Null/10 (19 May 2013)

Good acting, a monster that I don't see too little, good effects, and a story I can get into. This movie is nothing epic, but it's a horror movie that "works."
First time feature director Andrés Muschietti does a solid job with atmosphere and "creepy." The story gets moving when two orphaned girls are discovered in an abandoned cabin in the woods after five years somehow surviving on their own (now they're about 9 and 7 years old). Their eyes are cold and scared yet somehow predatory, their hair and skin far beyond wildly filthy, and their movement is so unnatural that it reminds me more of a Silent Hill monster than an animal.
Much to my surprise, the maternal poltergeist Mama was not a kept mystery. Mama, her appearance, what she's capable of and her relationship with the girls are all presented to us right away. So when the feral Victoria and Lilly are taken in by uncle Lucas and his girlfriend Annabel, the movie doesn't rely on us wondering when Mama will pop up and reign terror on the new foster parents. Instead we watch the girls maintain a secret relationship with Mama while remaining emotionally distant from Lucas and Annabel.
But once their child psychologist and the new parents catch on to Mama's presence, simply a psychological manifestation or even a home invader by their perception, Mama feels threatened. And once the girls begin to open up to the doctor or feel affection for their new parents, Mama gets angry!
What's interesting is how this movie has such a simple story with one simple revelation toward its end, no red herrings and no real surprises, yet, it really works. I thought they had some trouble making the finale at the end come together, actually I thought it was too drawn out, but overall I was very pleased with this movie.
We start out feeling edgy about the girls, and as they normalise we start feeling edgy about Mama. And Mama is worth feeling edgy about. She looks quite contorted, distorted and disturbing. I felt continuously worried about what this apparition was going to do next, and the pace of the movie never disappoints.
I feel like we've been trained to find terrible acting to be totally acceptable when it comes to horror. But Mama's cast features nothing but competency and a few pleasant surprises. Of course, no one should be shocked that Jessica Chastain pulled off the stand-offish girlfriend turned hesitant parent.
Definitely would recommend this if you like horror films.