Ma (2019): Movie Review

Y'all ready to go to Ma's?

To celebrate Friday the 13th, I watched the horror thriller Ma (2019) starring Octavia Spencer. Let me tell you something, I laughed my ass off watching this film. I’m not sure this was their intention, but parts of this movie were so absurd that I couldn’t help but break out into laughter to the point I nearly fell off my bed. Now, don’t get me wrong, there were parts that were effectively frightening, to the credit of Octavia’s amazing performance. However, in the end, I walked away wondering why the hell did any of this happened.

Ma is about a group of teenagers from a small town who unintentionally befriend a lonely woman named Sue Ann (Octavia Spencer) after she helps them buy booze for their get together. “Ma” as the teens dub her, goes above and beyond to gain their trust by offering her basement as a “safe space” for them to hang out, drink and party. She even goes as far as partying with them. However, we soon learn that Ma has other plans that aren’t necessarily to protect these teens.

Sue Ann "Ma"

Ma is frightening. Despite her unassuming demeanor, she is socially inept, obsessive and manipulative. She’s a lonely older woman who, ignoring all social norms, befriends teenagers, lets them party in her basement, often putting herself at their level. The concept alone is disturbing because you know it’s wrong, however, you can’t help wonder how far she’s going to go and this drives the movie forward. Octavia Spencer did an amazing job bringing dimension to Sue Ann’s character. She does a good job at making Sue Ann appear vulnerable yet troubled all at once making you root for her at some points of the film and in others, waiting for her demise.

Digging a Little Deeper

There were moments in this film that they could have pushed boundaries and dug a little deeper into the story. This was even more evident to me by the end of the film.

The movie gives Sue Ann a backstory that, for the most part, explains her motivations. We learn through flashbacks that Sue Ann was a victim of abuse at her school. However, it felt like there was something much deeper to her past that the movie refused to explore. For instance, the implied racism. Sue Ann was the only black student in her school and her bullies were all white. Sue Ann even makes a statement along the lines of “there can only be one us here” or “they don’t want us here” as she’s assaulting one of the black characters in the film. The movie brings these up, but they don’t actually address it, which makes it feel like there’s a white elephant in the room the movie won’t acknowledge.

Then there were questions I had about why things were happening. For instance, why did Sue Ann decide to exact revenge now? It’s unclear to me if Sue Ann always had a plan to torture and kill her victims, or if she was triggered by the events of the film. Beyond that, I also wondered, given the twist in this film, why Ma would sacrifice her life for revenge. As it turns out, Sue Ann isn’t entirely alone, and I wondered why it didn’t play a part in her motivation.

Finally, the ending of this film fell into horror film cliche territory, which made it feel disconnected from the rest of the film. I walked away wondering why any of it mattered in the end. What were we supposed to walk away with?

What Are We Supposed To Walk Away With?

That particular question is what makes me think about my own horror and thriller stories. Often we get excited by an interesting concept, but don’t put much thought into what statement your story is trying to make, as was the case with Ma. I believe that horrors and thrillers could be much more than their surface level of functioning when they dig deeper and make you think. When you walk away learning something. Because in the end, horror and thrillers are simply a reflection of the darker parts of our humanity.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this film was very entertaining. I was laughing at parts and absolutely horrified in others and I think for that, it was an effective film. However, the story itself felt a little hallow for me, mainly because the film had more interest in its concept than the story.

If you’re a fan of horror and thriller, I recommend you watch this film. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Have you watched Ma (2019)? Got a favorite horror film? Comment about it below!

Hi! Shantal here. I’m a writer and a storyteller. I created Shantal Writes to share my experiences with writing fiction. I also provide new writers with tips, tools, and writing advice. I hope you find something helpful while you’re here!