31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 31 - Mama (Happy Halloween!)

Day 31: Mama
Via: DVD
Release Date - 2013

Synopsis: On the day that their parents die, sisters Lilly and Victoria vanish in the woods, prompting a frantic search by their Uncle Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his girlfriend, Annabel (Jessica Chastain). Five years later, miraculously, the girls are found alive in a decaying cabin, and Lucas and Annabel welcome them into their home. But as Annabel tries to reintroduce the children to a normal life, she finds that someone -- or something -- still wants to tuck them in at night.

SPOILER ALERT - If you have not seen the movie do not read.

Last but definitely not least, Mama. I put this on my list after watching the short a few weeks back, and let me tell you this was a great film to end this 31 day journey. The main plot is my biggest pet peeve about this film, but it did not disappoint. So, like most new ghost or exorcism movies, this was based on a spirit seeking revenge for something. There are so many films with this plot that I wasn't expecting much out of it, even when it was presented by Del Toro. However, the cinematography, editing, use of color and sound, but especially the effects and the acting, made this film very enjoyable. So much, that even before I was at the end, I knew I would be watching it again. 

Ok, so the premise is that a dad kills a bunch of people including his wife. He kidnaps his 2 girls, Victoria and Lilly, and while on the road, they all get in a wreck. They manage to survive but they are lost in the woods. As they walk through the woods they see an abandoned cabin. They walk in, make themselves at home and wait. But not before dad decides the best decision for all of them is for him to kill the girls. He is about to pull the trigger on Victoria when suddenly, a dark spirit grabs him and takes him away, presumably dead at this point. The girls are left all alone, we think,  in the abandoned cabin to fend for themselves. It turns out the spirit who killed their father is the one who takes care of them throughout the years.

Flash forward to 5 years later. The girls' uncle, Lucas, has been on a quest to find them; going into debt hiring people to keep searching in the woods. One day as a team "looks around", they happen to come across the same abandoned cabin where we last saw the girls. They break in and find the girls living but in a very feral state. The rest of the film is about the relationship Lucas, his girlfriend Annabel, and the girls build as Lucas gains custody. They seem to be on a pretty good path until Lucas gets into a mysterious "accident". Annabel is now the one in charge. Let me just take a quick moment to say how awesome it was to see a punk rocker girl be the hero of the movie. It touched me in a very special but naughty place. Ha. 

So, I suggest just watching the film to know the rest of the story. There isn't a surprise ending or anything, but the way all the various relationships between foster parents and the girls develops is really sweet and chaotic. A horror film with a warm underlying narrative. Best finish I could ask for.