"Mama" - Suprisingly Effective
The plot involves two little girls being abducted by
their father (Jeffrey) after killing their mother and
several coworkers. He flees authorities into the deep
woods, where his car crashes and he finds an
abandoned cabin. He goes there to commit the horrible
act of killing the his daughters, but unbeknownst to
him the cabin is inhabited by the restless spirit of
a former mental patient who lost her own baby in a
bizarre suicide attempt. Unable to find the remains
of her baby after jumping off a cliff, Mama has been
skulking around this cabin for over a hundred years…
waiting. When the wayward father arrives there, she
gruesomely dispatches him before he can kill his
daughters and adopts them as her own.
There are a couple things that specifically deserve mention. First, Mama is hideously deformed and as such is one spooky looking ghost. These guys tore a page from the “Alien” playbook - make the monster scary looking and you’re halfway to the finish line. Second, the beat where Lucas is incapacitated by Mama, thereby leaving Chastain alone in that huge house with the unnerving children and the overly protective Mama is a very good plot device. The audience can really relate to Chastain’s paranoia and fear that first night in the house alone.
Mama is certain to do well in the DVD market, and was no slouch in the theaters, bringing in over $70 million domestically. Rent it and get ready to keep those lights on.