In the need of a new life and a fresh start, Erica and her sixteen year old daughter, Maggie, move from San Diego back to Erica’s home town in rural Mississippi. Maggie quickly makes friends with her fellow classmates Haley, Darrell, Chaz and Andy and they invite her to join them on a night out at ‘the rocks’, a local hangout where teens like to drink and party, the trouble is they need someone to buy the alcohol for them.
After some initial fruitless attempts, Maggie finally befriends local vetinary technician Sue Ann who buys the alcohol for them. The next day, Sue Ann aka “Ma” offers them the use of her basement as a place to party safely and it quickly becomes the hottest hangout in town. Unbeknownst to the kids, despite some glaringly obvious red flags, Ma has an ulterior motive and she is plotting her revenge….
Whilst horror is not my favourite genre by any stretch of the imagination, I do love a good psychological thriller. The story itself is certainly not breaking down any barriers and I’ll admit that the writing is a little lacklustre in places but in terms of general, don’t have to concentrate too hard, enjoyment Ma delivers in its promise.
It takes a while for Ma’s motives to unravel which means that most of the films fun and frolics are reserved for the final third of the film. Personally, I don’t mind a bit of a slow burner but I know that for some they need something to get their teeth into straight away, however shots of Octavia Spencer dancing to the likes of Kung Fu Fighting does offer something of an appetiser until the crazy really ramps up.
Director Tate Taylor reunites with Octavia Spencer, who he directed to an Oscar win in his 2011 film The Help, and the decision to cast Spencer in this Blumhouse horror is the type of genius move that is reminiscent of Robin William’s terrifyingly terrific performance in One Hour Photo, and she delivers a suitably sinister performance that is a delight to watch.
Unfortunately though, Spencer carries this film’s success firmly on her shoulders, despite the strength of the cast around her. This is of no fault of the films supporting cast but more of a case of poor writing leading to poor underdeveloped characters that even the talent of Luke Evans, Juliette Lewis or even Allison Janney, can’t do anything substantial with especially with the extremely limited amount of screen time that they have.
Looking back at what I’ve written, I am very conscious that it does appear to be rather negative and, technically speaking, the film has a lot of flaws but from a purely enjoyment point of view, Ma is actually a great watch that manages to achieve a sense of tension and suspense without resorting to cheap jump scares or excessive gore. This won’t be a film that makes it’s way into your all time faves but it is a film that is worth your time, at least once, so check it out this weekend. And don’t forget the popcorn.
