Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
Criminal psychologist Kate Fuller is assigned to the murder of a man who has seemingly been strangled in his sleep by his wife and the only witness is their eight-year-old daughter, Sophie. As Kate digs into the mystery of an ancient demon which kills people in their sleep, she experiences the same petrifying symptoms as all previous victims and spirals through a chilling nightmare to save herself and Sophie before she dares fall asleep again.
Mara is a fairly derivative entry in the sleep-paralysis horror subgenre, treading well-worn ground already covered by films like Dead Awake and Slumber. The premise has potential but the screenplay leans heavily on genre conventions — the investigator-becomes-victim arc, the creepy child witness, the ancient demon mythology — without adding much fresh perspective. Olga Kurylenko delivers a serviceable lead performance but the supporting cast is largely unremarkable. Cinematography has some effective atmospheric moments, particularly in the sleep-paralysis sequences which use shadow and tight framing competently, though nothing truly distinctive. The ending resolves predictably without a satisfying payoff, leaving the mythology underdeveloped. Overall a middling genre effort that fails to distinguish itself in a crowded field.