'Mama' DVD Review: Solid Special Features, Lukewarm Horror Film

Mama, an underwhelming horror film starring Oscar-nominated actress Jessica Chastain and produced by Guillermo del Toro, is now out on DVD. Released in January, Mama tells the story of a young, slightly irresponsible couple that takes in two small girls—their nieces—when they are found in the woods after five years. The girls, Lily and Victoria, are wild, and have been raised by a mysterious ghost figure they call ‘Mama.’

Mama, directed by Andrés Muschietti, is not particularly innovative. It features the classic dark, long hallways and creepy laughing children you expect to see in a horror film. Overly dramatic music? Check. Creaking floorboards? Check. Flickering lights? Check.

The one thing that truly separates Mama from your run-of-the-mill Hollywood horror is the acting. Chastain, flawless as always, plays wonderfully opposite Game of Thrones’s Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, her husband in the film. And the child actresses, Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nélisse, are chilling and subtle—a rare quality with young performers.

The Blu-Ray DVD special features include the original short, which is almost identical to a scene in the film, and a commentary by Muschietti and his co-writer (and sister), Barbara Muschietti. While the commentary is not incredibly interesting, it is fun to see siblings working together and interpreting their work. The Blu-Ray has an added bonus look at the special effects.

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