An Academy Award. A British Academy Film Award. A Golden Globe Award. With all of these accolades, it’s too bad that Octavia Spencer now has the unfortunate honor of being the starring actress in a film I officially nominate for this year’s Worst Terror Film (WTF) Award—Ma. But don’t fret, dear readers, I’m sure those other very legit awards will provide her with plenty of solace—plus the fact that even despite a poorly-written script, she still outperforms everyone on the screen.
Ma is based on every highschooler’s worst nightmare—the thought of being the butt of a very cruel joke in front of your entire high school class. After suffering an unpleasant teenage experience, Sue Ann (Spencer) grows up to become a vet tech with a penchant for staring off into space to entertain weird flashbacks. Seemingly reaching her limit with people and with life in general, she snaps, dubs herself “Ma” and finds a crew of high school students to strike a deal with—they get booze and access to a chill space (her creepy basement) while she gets to feel like she’s finally a member of the in-
crowd. But when the kids get a little too weirded out, they find out that Ma doesn’t let her pals go so easily, and she has other plans for their bright futures.
There’s something appealing about this storyline as a horror film, and one can almost, almost, see how Spencer read the script and reveled in playing a spacey loner psycho who never quite got over a few bad years in high school, never left her hometown, and is out for revenge. It’s a departure from her other roles, and honestly just sounds like a blast to portray. And truthfully, Spencer proves in this film that she can deliver creepy as well as she can any other vibe.
But aside from Spencer and perhaps an exceptionally rad soundtrack
grounded squarely in the 80s, Ma fails on almost every other level: the storyline meanders as aimlessly as a drunken coed headed home at 3am with heels in hand, the characters make decisions as mindlessly as pups trying to sniff out friends in a dog park, and the scares actually put me to sleep. Literally. Random doesn’t begin to describe this chop shop of a film, and despite my deep adoration and respect for Spencer, even she couldn’t salvage this one.
And so, gals and ghouls, as I walk away from the theater wondering what on earth I just witnessed for 99 minutes, I must caution you against seeing this one, and also officially nominate Ma for this year’s WTF Award.
SpecialK Verdict: What on earth? Just, no. I love you, Octavia, but no.
Ma opens everywhere Friday, May 31.
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