Mama: "Victoria, Who Is Mama? Can You Show Her To Me"

Director: Andres Muschietti
Writer:    Neil Cross
               Andres Muschietti
               Barbara Muschietti
Starring: Jessica Chastain
               Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
               Megan Charpentier
               Isabelle Nelisse
               Daniel Kash
               Javier Botet
Rating:    ****

Release Date: Out Now

There are many types of horror film out in the world of cinema; there's your slasher, torture-porn, Japanese, possession and then your old classic, a ghost story. (I'm aware I missed some sub-genres out there, but you get my drift). Mama, produced by the genius Guillermo Del Toro, is a classic ghost tale filled with twists, jumps and genuine shocks; admittedly nothing original or that innovative gets brought to the table, but what it does bring is some genuine scares. 

Jessica Chastain

The story is centred around Annabel (Chastain), a punky twenty-something who finds herself becoming a reluctant parent to her boyfriend's nieces after a tragedy sees them orphaned. When they were a lot younger there father murdered their mother and ran away with the two girls only to end up stranded in the woods. It was here where a demonic being killed the girls father, and brought up the girls in an animalistic way for much of their lives. It's after being found after many years of searching that the film really kicks off and scary stuff begins to take hold.

The script is well written and put together and of course Chastain sprinkles her magic all over what could've been a dull and uninteresting character. And while the film scared me and showcased the wonderful young actresses, Charpentier and Nelisse, it really didn't leave me sat there thinking 'wow, I've never seen that before'. It all felt slightly rehashed and overdone and almost took away from the superb horror being portrayed before me. I think for fans of horror films it will be good for a good jump and a scream, but for a horror fan it won't effect your life if you were to miss it.

Mama - Trailer