Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Guillermo del Toro presents Mama, a supernatural thriller that tells the haunting tale of two little girls who disappeared into the woods the day that their parents were killed. When they are rescued years later and begin a new life, they find that someone or something still wants to come tuck them in at night.
Mama is a solidly crafted supernatural horror with an emotionally resonant premise — feral children haunted by a ghostly maternal figure — elevated by del Toro's production sensibility. The plot builds tension effectively and the two child actresses deliver memorable, unsettling performances. Cinematography is competent and atmospheric without being especially distinctive. Novelty is moderate: the feral-child-meets-ghost concept has some originality but leans on familiar haunted-house tropes. The ending, where Mama takes the children off a cliff in a bittersweet supernatural conclusion, divides audiences and feels rushed and tonally uneven after a promising build-up, undercutting much of the goodwill earned earlier.