While [Guillermo Del Toro] only takes an executive producer credit here on Mama, I doubt more involvement would have been helpful.

Good acting can't forgive bad effects or narrative choices, and yes, there are a lot of those.

Haunting and extremely atmospheric, Mama is a horror film imbued with an unsettling and affecting power.

Writer-director Andres Muschietti's 3-minute Mama sought only to provide a chill and succeeded. This 100-minute piece dilutes the primal terror.