I love a silly horror film, especially when it embraces the absurd. That’s why some of my favorite films are also some of the best horror comedy movies. I adore a captivating blend of grotesque and hilarity. However, occasionally, it’s hard to differentiate when a horror film is funny by choice or due to the consequence of poorly executed decisions. Ma is a film that I never watched because I initially thought it was a horror comedy and then learned otherwise. Though some may consider it hilarious, it’s not by the film’s choice.
The initial reviews implied Ma is a straightforward psychological thriller that makes some decisions that don’t work. It became infamous for not trying to be funny but succeeding anyway. The Ma memes kept me interested but I waited until 2024 to finally watch it. Watching Ma was a wilder movie experience than I expected. Let me explain.
Warning Ma spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution.
The Victim Is The Antagonist
No one prepared me for Ma’s (Octavia Spencer) tragic backstory. I knew the other teens did something to trigger her mental breakdown, and that was the driving force of her revenge. You can make this assumption simply from watching the trailer. However, I expected something similar to Carrie, a terrible prank gone wrong but nothing technically criminal. I expected an embarrassing cruel moment but not to the extremes of Ma.
What happened to Sue Ann is sexual assault. She willingly engages in oral sex but is tricked and coerced into it. Sue Ann thought she was engaging in sexual activity with her crush, but the students tricked her into this activity with someone else. That’s a textbook example of sexual assault.
Ma doesn’t fully approach the topic deeply because it’s never given the seriousness it deserves. In fact, none of the children turned adults seem that remorseful. Erica (Juliette Lewis) apologizes but it doesn’t seem that heartfelt or genuine. Learning Ma’s backstory made me sympathize with her. I also wished the film didn’t make her this fully cartoonish villain. It removed some of Sue Ann’s sympathetic aspects. Additionally, Ma’s sexual assault almost makes her a villain with an understandable motive.
Unfortunately, however, Sue Ann squanders that sympathy by becoming too diabolical. With such a talented actress like Octavia Spencer, Ma could have really made its story more emotionally impactful and gripping. It could have been another great Octavia Spencer performance.
Instead, it didn’t feel like Ma addressed the tragedy of this incident enough. It seemed more like a plot device instead of trying to say something profound about trauma.
But It's Still Crazy She Has A Beef With Children
No one can deny that a crime happened to Sue Ann. However, it doesn’t justify her behavior. After all, she starts a rivalry with children, especially Maggie (Diana Silvers) whose mother had the least involvement in everything that happened to Sue Ann.
Sue Ann graduates from victim to perpetrator. This type of progression occasionally happens to some victims but the film kind of diminishes her sympathy by making her attack innocent children. Additionally, Ma tries to have us root against Sue Ann, and even cheer when Maggie stabs her. I didn’t cheer. I wanted Sue Ann to live and get the proper help she clearly needed.
Also, the fact that she still goes after the parents makes her attack on the children even more questionable. If she only goes after the children, you could see this act as staying true to the ideology of the “sins of the fathers are visited upon the children,” but because she punishes the teens and parents, it feels less impactful.
She seems to want to hurt everyone. It would have felt more biblical if Sue Ann attacked only the younger generation and made the parents suffer that way. Her actions are wrong either way but thematically it makes more sense to hurt the children only. Her beefing with the teens is Ma’s most uncomfortable element.
Ma Was Always Uncomfortable To Watch
Children can sometimes be naive or too trusting. They can also just be dumb. The children in Ma feel very dumb because Sue Ann automatically raises red flags. However, they ignore them for most of the movie because they like her buying them alcohol and letting them party in her basement. One of Ma’s most memorable moments is her making Chaz (Gianni Paolo) strip down by pointing a gun at him.
She claims the gun isn’t loaded, and the children then laugh the incident off. She also inappropriately touches Andy (Corey Fogelmanis) and Darrell (Dante Brown) a few times. Ma often gives predator vibes but the children ignore it. Spencer does a good job with the character because she gives off an uncomfortable aura from the beginning. Ma never makes you root for Sue Ann, even when you sympathize with her pain. She’s just too intolerable to support.
I Didn't Expect A Munchausen By Proxy Plot
People aware of Gypsy Rose Blanchard's storyor have seen the act The Act know of one of the most infamous cases of Munchausen by Proxy, which is a disorder where the person will fabricate or even inflict an illness on another person in their care. Ma screenwriter Scott Landes might have felt inspired by Gypsy Rose’s story because the plot about Sue Ann poisoning her daughter, Genie (Tanyell Waivers), to make her sick feels very similar to Gypsy’s story, including the part where Genie attempts to stop Ma by helping kill her.
Even just watching The Act trailer, it seems clear that Ma takes some inspiration from this well-known story. Sue Ann is already a pretty diabolical villain so she becomes even worse by intentionally harming her daughter. It feels like an extra plot that isn’t needed but helps cement Ma as such a memorable evil-doer.
I Found Ma's Casual Children Torture Mouth-Dropping
Ma takes its time with killing off characters, but then it goes full force. Every murder scene gets more gruesome. There are only about two of them but those are very unforgettable death scenes. Then, the torture of the children scenes are even more uncomfortable and memorable. Sue Ann burns Chaz’s chest with an iron, paints Darrell white, and sews the lips of Haley (McKaley Miller).
Then she ends up kissing Andy before stabbing him. It’s very extreme and hard to watch, especially considering all these actors play teens and look like them. Ma really embraces the “do whatever and see what happens” philosophy. In many ways, it’s a respectable decision to go full-throttle crazy with the plot and actions, but it also makes Ma an awkward and agonizing viewing.
The Memes From The Film Are Crazier With Context
The Ma listening meme and the telling Chaz to strip meme are two of the most famous memes from the film. It’s now hilarious to know the full content of these scenes, especially the secretly listening one. Sue Ann was very proud of herself for tricking children by providing them with alcohol. Now with the full context, the meme is even funnier.
Ma is more bonkers than expected. It’s one of the best movies to watch on Hulu right now. It is just absurd for absurdity's sake but with earnest enough performances to stay out of parody territory. Ma is a film you must at least experience once.
