A lonely woman befriends a group of teenagers and decides to let them party at her house. Just when the kids think their luck couldn’t get any better, things start happening that make them question the intention of their host.
Going into “Ma,” I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what to expect, however, I knew that with the movie coming from Blumhouse Productions, I was in for a treat, and I was. “Ma” follows the basic thread of most thrillers, introducing increasingly bold and preposterous story shifts to keep the audience guessing and the tension rising. It’s a blend of “Get Out” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” with much more teen comedy that I was expecting and craziness everywhere in between. “Ma” is a strange thriller that attempts to explore the infliction of old wounds upon a new generation.
The film was directed by Tate Taylor (“The Help,” “The Girl on the Train”), and follows Erica (Juliette Lewis) and her daughter Maggie (Diana Silvers) after the departure of Maggie’s father forces them to move back to the home town Erica had escaped years earlier. While Erica focuses on her new job, Maggie quickly makes friends at high school, including snarky Haley (McKaley Miller) and cute Andy (Corey Fogelmanis). When the three search for an adult who can buy them liquor, their only taker is Sue Ann (Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer). Sue Ann then integrates herself into the group of friends and encourages them to party in her basement, which becomes their drinking spot. But when the teens become uncomfortable with Sue Ann’s behavior and try to stop hanging out with her, she becomes increasingly menacing and unhinged. It’s revealed that traumas from her own teen years inform her actions, leading her to become more twisted as the film progresses. She’s a fascinatingly weird character, working through multiple layers of motivation and neuroses. One second she’s their best friend, the next she’s narcing on them by calling one the teenager’s parents to tell him of their drinking festivities and then back to being their BFF. The film really is a rollercoaster on all levels, the humor, the horror and the actions of Sue Ann are just all over the place.
“Ma” tries its best to shake things up in the world of horror/suspense, but quite honestly, doesn’t really stand out in any way, and will sadly fall into the cracks of the forgotten. Yeah sure it touches on the cliché of the sins of a generation onto the next and the film also touches on gender, race, sexuality, guilt, family, betrayal and a mess of other themes. Essentially the film tries to throw everything into itself, including the kitchen sink and a few poor pets, but that over excessiveness drowns the film out. Plot holes were abundant throughout the movie, the greatest, I felt, in such a small town, which they made sure to identify early on, how is it NO ONE from the prior generation has interacted with one another in the past 20 years, that in itself is far fetched. I live in a huge city and run into people daily I’d rather not have from the past 20 years. Had the film reversed the balance of humor and horror, this film could have been the thriller it was meant to be.
Now available on Digital HD and on Blu-ray™, DVD and On-Demand September 3rd
