Andres Muschietti directed and co-wrote Mama with Barbara Muschietti and Neil Cross. Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nelisse, Daniel Kash, Javier Botet, and Jane Moffat appear in the film, which features music by Fernando Velazquez and cinematography by Antonio Riestra. The story centers on a suicidal father who kidnaps his two young daughters to a cabin in the woods with the intention of killing them. However, he is killed by an unknown entity before he can carry out his plan, leaving the girls alone. Years later, they are found living in the cabin, wild and untamed, and eventually reveal that someone called “Mama” has been looking after them; it seems Mama has now come back with them into society. Andres Muschietti expands on his 2008 Argentinian short film of the same name to create a full-length feature, achieving quite good results. The movie is a supernatural fairytale that relies heavily on an eerie atmosphere rather than cheap jump scares or excessive gore intended to draw audiences. From the moment the girls are discovered, moving around the cabin on all fours and seemingly surviving on cherries for five years, there's a sense of unease throughout the story. We know a spirit is involved after a brief glimpse of “Mama” in the pre-credits sequence; now we need a compelling narrative and enough scares and danger for Waldau and Chastain as they become the girls’ adoptive parents—and again, Mama mostly provides what's needed for an enjoyable evening spent on edge. Chastain is excellent portraying a rebellious woman unexpectedly becoming a mother to two children. The young actresses, Charpentier and Nelisse, are also impressive, conveying the sadness and confusion that children would naturally experience under such circumstances. Their reactions to things we can’t see—through glances or quiet exchanges—create an unsettling creepiness that generates considerable dread. Muschietti's direction is stylish; he not only handles his main actors well but also demonstrates creativity in how scenes are arranged, with one sequence particularly clever as Chastain does chores while the younger girl plays with Mama in the bedroom – we see it, even if we can’t directly view the spirit. The soundtrack and score are appropriately unsettling, and Riestra's cinematography has a Gothic feel to it. The reason Mama doesn’t quite reach the top tier of horror films is mostly due to a common mistake made by many filmmakers in the genre: showing too much of the supernatural presence. Around an hour into the film, “Mama” simply ceases to be frightening; this is unfortunate because the special effects are not bad at all. There are other minor issues as well, such as Waldau being reduced to a supporting role after the midpoint, and a subplot involving Kash’s Dr. Dreyfuss that feels like unnecessary setup. The ending might also prove too bizarre for some viewers. Nevertheless, this is solid genre cinema for those who enjoy thrills and storytelling similar to The Woman in Black. 7.5/10

Source on TMDB