Mama isn’t the classic horror film that many would assumed it was going  to be. Going into scary movies, viewers tend to expect excessive blood and gore. And although the movie does deliver some of these aspects, Andy Muschietti, the director seems to want the viewer to have a better understanding of the movie and does a great job doing so.

The movie starts out with the father murdering his wife and mother of his children, Victoria and Lily.  The father then kidnaps the girls; speeding on a snowy highway he loses control, which sends them over a small slope. Only a few minor injuries occur during the crash including the car, which is completely ruined leaving the father and children with no choice but to walk to safety. While walking in the woods they come across a small cabin, which lies in the middle of nowhere. The father, clearly distraught, makes up his mind to kill the children and then him. While getting ready to shoot the eldest daughter, Victoria, the father takes off her glasses and then tells her to look at something that he has pointed out. Just as he’s lifting the gun up to Victoria’s head some dark figure grabs the dad and drags him elsewhere leaving Victoria and Lily in the cabin by themselves for the next five years. For me. this was a unexpected turn. Already the movie had me hooked and sitting on the edge of my seat. I thought that the father was going to kill Victoria, so when the creepy figured captured the dad it shocked me. The eerie music gave away that something was bond to happen, i just wasn’t expecting that to happen.

During the five years the girls find comfort with a maternal ghostly figure, whom they call Mama.  Meanwhile, the father’s brother is looking for the girls. On the day of the final search for the lost girls they are found. After some psychiatric treatment, a psychologist then decides to release Victoria and Lily to the care of their uncle on one condition, the couple would have to move into a house away from everyone and agree to allow the psychologist to have full access to the girls for further analysis.

This is where the movie really starts to take off. Unlike most scary movies, this one has an intriguing story plot like non-other. However, in contrast, the viewer can easily guess when something is about to happen, thanks to the dark and eerie fast paced music. Even though the expected scare is delivered, the viewer can be thrown off guard. This film does a very good job of keeping viewers interested, hearts pumping, and full of anticipation.

On  average critic score, critics have this movie a 57 out of 100, but the New York Times gave it an impressive 80 out of 100, according to metacritic.com

“ Instead of delivering buckets of blood and gore this ghost story offers a strong sense of time and place, along with the kind of niceties that don’t often figure into horror flicks,” said Manhola Dargis, New York Times movie critic.

The movie is a bit weird, but phenomenal. The director creates a horror film that is much different from any others, a movie that exceeds viewer’s expectations.