Ma review – It’s a nah for Ma

Octavia Spencer is one of Hollywood’s brighter lights and during her career we have seen her portray an amazing array of characters.

Her most disturbing creation yet is Sue Ann “Ma” Ellington, an angry sociopath who works as a veterinary technician and whose psychological problems are cleverly masked.  She was bullied at school and the trauma of those years have never left her.

Teenager Maggie Thompson (Diana Silvers) moves with her mother Erica (Juliette Lewis) to her hometown of Ohio after her father has abandoned the family and they have to start afresh.

At school, Maggie befriends Andy Hawkins (Corey Fogelmanis), Haley (McKaley Miller), Chaz (Gianni Paolo) and Darrell (Dante Brown), who invite her to have a drink with them.

Octavia Spencer in Ma. Photo: Sony Pictures

While outside the liquor store, they encounter Ma and ask her to help them buy alcohol. Sue Ann anonymously reports the teens’ activities, although they are let go due to the officer’s history with Andy’s father, Ben (Luke Evans).

The next day, Ma invites the teens to drink in her basement and many people from school show up at her house to party. Ma starts becoming a popular and accommodating figure among the teens. However, she does warn them to keep to the basement for their partying and never to venture into the upper level of the house.

As the narrative progresses, Ma’s hospitality starts to annoy the group as she is continuously harassing them to engage in various activities with her. Maggie and Haley also suspect that Ma had stolen items of jewellery from them during their parties, and they decide to investigate.

The production slowly turns nasty, with some horrific scenes unfolding, as the increasingly unstable Ma decides to take revenge on all those who have hurt her.

Ma. Photo: Sony Pictures

An interesting element that emerges is that the girls’ have a feeling that Ma is dangerous, but they are ignored and undermined by the boys. Peer pressure plays a role in the narrative, but this facet is glossed over.

Director Tate Taylor, who also made The Help with Spencer, follows a well-worn path of horror. Apart from Spencer’s creepy contribution, the acting from its mostly young cast never rises above average.

The uneven pacing, too, does little to ramp up tension and, at the end, it falls short in delivering a truly suspenseful experience.

Info

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Cast: Octavia Spencer, Diana Silvers, Juliette Lewis, Luke Evans
Director: Tate Taylor
Classification: 16 DLNSV

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