Spirited away by a wild mama!

First-time feature director Andy Muschietti has expanded his own acclaimed three-minute short of the same title into a full-length film.

Mama
Direction: Andy Muschietti
Actors: Jessica Chastain, Nikoloj Coster-Waldau
Rating: **

First-time feature director Andy Muschietti has expanded his own acclaimed three-minute short of the same title into a full-length film.

And it toplines Jessica Chastain one of Hollywood’s accomplished new actors. Despite its credentials, however, Mama misses the mark.

The gobbledygook story blends horror, supernatural and fairy tale elements but contains almost no scares.

Ms Chastain is merely required to make startled, can-this-be-happening-to-me reactions when her wannabe punk-rocker is forced to care for two orphaned girls. Little by little, it becomes apparent that the wild children, who survived five years at a cabin in the woods, are sought to be spirited away by a malevolent “mama”.

The script squanders any potential promise to get bogged down in what’s-behind-the-closet boos.

The extended ‘cliffhanger’ climax is unintentionally funny. Recommended, but only for the horror film buffs. letters@hindustantimes.com