Ma Movie Review

Ma (2019)

Buy Ma on Amazon Video
Written by: Scotty Landes
Directed by: Tate Taylor
Starring: Octavia Spencer, Diana Silvers, Juliette Lewis, McKaley Miller, Corey Fogelmanis
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
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.

Verdict
It's a horror/thriller on a budget. The smaller budget lends this a specific focus that heightens the mood. Due to the budget, the movie can't rely on big set pieces. It has to create a mood, and it does that as we wonder if Ma is lonely or deranged.
It depends.

Review

You know where this movie is going. That's not a bad thing. It's a Blumhouse production which relies on a strategy of low budget horror that turns a profit. It's effective, following other Blumhouse movies like Sinister and Blumhouse's first movie, Paranormal Activity gaining widespread recognition.

Octavia Spencer plays Ma.

Ma is a lonely woman that befriends a bunch of teens. You wonder what weird game she is going to play. Hints indicate Ma isn't just being generous in giving her basement to teens for a place to party. So much of what she does is weird. The movie is playing a game where we don't know if Ma is dangerous, lonely, or both.

A large part of this movie deals with the dangers of social media. People can find a lot of information with just a name. Ma uses only Facebook, which is too easy. With just the internet, Ma could pull down a lot more information. I wish the movie pushed more for online privacy, just to give the movie more relevance.

The other side to the main plot of Ma becoming increasingly obsessed with having teens as friends are her experiences as a teen. These scenes slowly reveal that Ma had traumatizing experience as a teen. Her current plight seems to be wish fulfillment and being popular. Octavia Spencer definitely gets to have fun with a role where we wonder just how much of a sociopath she is.

With the smaller budget, this movie has a focus and a quick pace. It's not going to redefine the horror genre, but it's entertaining. It remains engrossing because of the narrow focus.