Ma | |
---|---|
Directed by | Tate Taylor |
Written by | Scotty Landes |
Produced by |
|
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Christina Voros |
Edited by |
|
Music by | Gregory Tripi |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $5 million [1] |
Box office | $61.2 million [1] |
Ma is a 2019 American psychological horror film directed by Tate Taylor and written by Scotty Landes. It stars Octavia Spencer, Juliette Lewis, Diana Silvers, Corey Fogelmanis, Gianni Paolo, McKaley Miller and Luke Evans and follows a group of teenagers who befriend a lonely middle-aged woman. She lets them party in her basement, and they end up being terrorized by her. [2] The film was produced by Jason Blum through his Blumhouse Productions company, along with Taylor and John Norris. [3]
Ma came together as a result of Taylor's desire to direct a film about "something fucked up" and Spencer's desire to break away from the kinds of roles she usually gets to play. [4] Taylor and Spencer are longtime friends, having worked together in films such as The Help and Get on Up . Later, in 2018, Taylor and Blumhouse Productions began developing the film, with Taylor directing, Landes writing, Blum producing and Spencer starring. Principal photography on the film started in February 2018 and wrapped in March 2018, in Mississippi, with some parts shot in Natchez.
Ma was released in the United States on May 31, 2019, by Universal Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances (particularly those of Spencer and Lewis), but criticized the pacing and unrealized potential. The film grossed $61.2 million against a $5 million budget. It has since gained a cult following online.
Teenager Maggie Thompson moves with her mother, Erica, to her mother's Ohio hometown after Erica's husband leaves her. At her new high school, Maggie befriends Haley, Darrell, Chaz, and Andy, who immediately develops a crush on her. They convince Sue Ann "Ma" Ellington, a veterinary technician, to help them buy alcohol because they are not legally old enough to purchase it themselves. Sue Ann anonymously reports their activities, but they are released because of the officer's history with Andy's father, Ben. The next day Sue Ann invites the teenagers to drink in her basement. Over time, many other teenagers arrive at her house to party, making her popular among the students.
However, the group grows annoyed as Sue Ann continuously harasses them to spend time with her. One night she drugs Maggie and takes her earrings. The next morning Maggie finds cuts and bruises on her body and her earrings missing. A scared Maggie tells Andy she no longer wants to go to Sue Ann's house and that she does not want him to go either. To earn the group's trust back, Sue Ann lies that she has pancreatic cancer. Haley notices Sue Ann wearing a bracelet belonging to a friend. The girls suspect that Sue Ann has been stealing their jewelry and break into her house to investigate. They are surprised by Genie, Sue Ann's daughter from a failed marriage; Maggie is surprised to see her walking, as she uses a wheelchair at school. Maggie and Haley escape as Sue Ann comes home.
Ben, who went to high school with Sue Ann, shows up at her job to drop off his cat and invites her out for drinks after work. At the bar, Ben confronts Sue Ann with a tracking device and asks her why his son has been at her house. Ben warns Sue Ann to stay away from Andy. A flashback reveals that Sue Ann, who had a crush on Ben, was deceived into performing oral sex on a boy she thought was Ben. Ben had gotten the school to witness the assault, including his current girlfriend Mercedes and a young Erica. Sue Ann never recovered from the trauma and humiliation.
Sue Ann runs over Mercedes with her truck, killing her. She kills her boss, draws blood from Maggie's dog Louie, and lures Ben to her house, where she knocks him out. Ben wakes up naked and tied to the bed with a towel over his groin. Sue Ann then lifts up the towel grabbing onto Ben's exposed genitalia on one hand while holding a large knife on the other hand threatening to cut it off, but then changes her mind covering it back up with the towel. Sue Ann compares Ben to a dog. She transfuses Louie's blood into Ben, slashes his wrist, and leaves him to bleed out and die. Maggie tells her mother the truth about Sue Ann, and Erica briefly confronts Sue Ann. Sue Ann lures Maggie with a picture of herself with Andy in her basement at Chaz's birthday party. When she arrives, only the original group remains. She tries to get Andy to leave but realizes everyone has been drugged. As Maggie tries to get help, she finds Ben's body, and is drugged by Sue Ann. [5] [6]
Maggie awakens chained in the basement. Sue Ann irons Chaz's stomach, sews Haley's mouth shut, and paints Darrell's face white. Andy awakens, and tries to seduce Sue Ann. After kissing, she stabs him for lying. A police officer arrives and is shot by Sue Ann after Maggie screams for help. Sue Ann forces Maggie to gather her friends and take pictures. Sue Ann attempts to hang Maggie but Genie intervenes, starting a fire in the process. Everyone else wakes up and attempts to get out as the fire spreads. Erica, knowing where Maggie likely is, goes with her co-worker to save the teens. Sue Ann attempts to throw Genie into the fire and blames Erica for not stopping the sexual assault. Erica articulates her regrets and Maggie stabs Sue Ann, saving Genie.
The group runs outside as Sue Ann walks upstairs and lies down with Ben's corpse as the house burns.
Ma came together as a result of Tate Taylor's desire to direct a film about "something fucked up", and a conversation he had with Octavia Spencer in which she told him that she was "sick of only being offered the same role and never getting to be a lead." [7] The two are longtime friends, having worked together in films such as The Help and Get On Up . [7] Jason Blum and Taylor, who have been friends for a few years, knew each other socially. [8]
Taylor went to Blum's office, reiterating, "I want to do something really fucked up." [8] He read Scotty Landes' script of the film, which Blumhouse Productions had bought the day before. [8] Taylor immediately thought about Spencer. [7] He went out to the hall, called Spencer, and asked her if she would like to be in a horror film; [8] without reading the script, Spencer boarded the project. [8]
There was no backstory for the title character in the original script, which made her "a complete monster that no audience member could sympathize with". [7] The filmmakers made it a priority to come up with an authentic backstory for the role. [7] Taylor thought it was important to weave the themes of trauma, the sins of our parents, and how we treat people into the story to create a character audiences can relate to and feel bad for. [7]
Principal photography on the film started in February 2018. [9] Filming took place in Mississippi, [10] with parts shot in Natchez, [11] and wrapped in March 2018. [12]
Ma was released on May 31, 2019. [13] The first trailer was released on February 13, 2019. [14]
Ma was released digitally on August 20, 2019, and on DVD and Blu-ray on September 3, 2019, [15] by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE). The film grossed $3.1 million in domestic video sales. [1]
In July 2023, Melissa McCarthy expressed interest in working with Octavia Spencer on a potential sequel. [16]
Ma grossed $45.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $15.3 million in other countries/territories, for a worldwide total of $61.2 million, against a production budget of $5 million. [1]
In the United States and Canada, Ma was released alongside Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Rocketman , and was projected to gross around $20 million in its opening weekend. [17] The film made $7.2 million on its first day, including $1.4 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $18.4 million, finishing fourth at the box office. [18] The film made $7.8 million in its second weekend (dropping 54% and finishing in seventh), and then made $3.7 million in its third weekend. [19] [20]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 56% based on 212 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Octavia Spencer's performance overpowers many of Ma's flaws, but uneven pacing and a labored story keep this thriller from fully realizing its unhinged potential." [21] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [22] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an average two and a half out of five stars. [18]
Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave the film three out of five stars, describing it as "a nasty yet surprisingly empathetic slab of exploitation with more than just carnage on its mind." [23] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly rated the film a grade of B, specifying, "Even as the story descends into full bloody camp at its crescendo, Spencer holds the more ludicrous plot threads together." [24] Owen Glieberman of Variety wrote, "Spencer, a chameleon of an actress, does mood swings in Ma that leave us entertainingly off guard." [25]
Jude Dry of IndieWire gave the film a grade of C, stating that "it takes an amusing premise, reduces it to its most basic parts, then weighs it down with silly scare tactics," [26] while John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "It quickly spins its shaky premise off into an unconvincing study of emotional need and an even harder-to-believe revenge thriller." [27]
In an article published by Gawker in October 2021, writers Olivia Craighead and Sarah Hagi discussed Ma's legacy and their enduring fixation with the film. [28] Craighead and Hagi wrote that "as Black women, it's hard not to empathize and see [themselves] in Ma". [28] The review discusses the film's flaws, such as its avoidance of dealing with race directly. [28] Craighead and Hagi also include quotes from critic Doreen St. Félix and comedian Ayo Edebiri in the piece; both share the writers' interest in the movie, and both have rewatched it numerous times. [28]
At 2019's Saturn Awards, Spencer was nominated for Best Actress and the film was nominated for Best Thriller Film. [29]
Octavia Lenora Spencer is an American actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Tate Taylor is an American filmmaker and actor. Taylor is best known for directing The Help (2011), Get On Up (2014), and The Girl on the Train (2016).
Blumhouse Productions, LLC, doing business as Blumhouse, is an American independent film and television production company founded in 2000 by Jason Blum and Amy Israel.
The Darkness is a 2016 American supernatural horror film, directed by Greg McLean and co-written by McLean, Shayne Armstrong, and Shane Krause. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Radha Mitchell, David Mazouz, Lucy Fry, Matt Walsh, Jennifer Morrison, Ming-Na Wen and Parker Mack.
The Accountant is a 2016 American action thriller film directed by Gavin O'Connor, written by Bill Dubuque and starring Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J. K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Jeffrey Tambor, and John Lithgow. The storyline follows Christian Wolff, a certified public accountant with autism who makes his living (un-)'cooking the books' of criminal and terrorist organizations around the world that are experiencing internal embezzlement.
Gifted is a 2017 American drama film directed by Marc Webb and written by Tom Flynn. It stars Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan, Jenny Slate and Octavia Spencer.
The Veil is a 2016 American supernatural horror film directed by Phil Joanou and written by Robert Ben Garant, and starring Jessica Alba, Lily Rabe, Aleksa Palladino, Reid Scott, and Thomas Jane. Jason Blum served as a producer through his production company Blumhouse Productions. The film was released on January 19, 2016, through video on demand prior to being released through home media formats on February 2, 2016, by Universal Pictures.
Visions is a 2015 American supernatural horror film directed and edited by Kevin Greutert. It is written by Lucas Sussman. Jason Blum serves as a producer through his production company Blumhouse Productions. The film stars Isla Fisher, Anson Mount, Gillian Jacobs, Jim Parsons, Joanna Cassidy, and Eva Longoria. It was released by Universal Pictures through video on demand on January 19, 2016, prior to being released through home media formats on February 2, 2016.
21 Bridges is a 2019 American action-thriller film directed by Brian Kirk and written by Adam Mervis and Matthew Michael Carnahan, based on a story by Mervis. The film stars Chadwick Boseman as an NYPD Detective who shuts down the 21 river crossings of Manhattan to find two suspected cop killers, portrayed by Stephan James and Taylor Kitsch. Sienna Miller, Keith David and J. K. Simmons appear in supporting roles. The film was produced by brothers Joe and Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, Robert Simonds, Gigi Pritzker, Boseman and Logan Coles. It was also Boseman's final theatrical film before his death in August 2020. His last two films, Da 5 Bloods and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, were released on Netflix.
Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker is an American drama television limited series, based on the biography On Her Own Ground by A'Lelia Bundles, that premiered on March 20, 2020, on Netflix. It received generally positive reviews with praise for Octavia Spencer's performance; however it received criticism for various historical inaccuracies and artistic licence. For her performance, Spencer received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.
Fantasy Island, also known as Blumhouse's Fantasy Island, is a 2020 American supernatural horror film directed and co-written by Jeff Wadlow. Serving both as a horror reimagining and a prequel to ABC's 1977 television series of the same name, it stars Michael Peña, Maggie Q, Lucy Hale, Austin Stowell, Jimmy O. Yang, Ryan Hansen, Portia Doubleday, and Michael Rooker and follows a group of people who, while visiting the eponymous island, discover that their dream-like fantasies brought to life begin to turn into horrific living nightmares and they must try to survive.
The Hunt is a 2020 American action horror film directed by Craig Zobel and written by Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof. The film stars Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, Ike Barinholtz, and Emma Roberts. Jason Blum was a producer under his Blumhouse Productions banner, along with Lindelof. Zobel and Lindelof have said that the film is intended as a satire on the profound political divide between the American left and right. It is about a group of elites who kidnap working class people to hunt them.
The Invisible Man is a 2020 science fiction horror film written and directed by Leigh Whannell. Loosely based on H. G. Wells's 1897 novel, it is a reboot of the 1933 film of the same name. It stars Elisabeth Moss as a woman who believes she is being stalked and gaslit by her ex-boyfriend after he acquires the ability to become invisible. Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer, and Michael Dorman appear in supporting roles.
Diana Silvers is an American actress and model, best known for playing Erin Naird in the comedy series Space Force (2020–2022).
Thunder Force is a 2021 American superhero comedy film written and directed by Ben Falcone, and starring Melissa McCarthy, Octavia Spencer, Bobby Cannavale, Pom Klementieff, Taylor Mosby, with Melissa Leo, and Jason Bateman. It is the fifth collaboration between McCarthy and her husband Falcone, and follows two childhood friends who invent a way to become superheroes in a world where criminals have developed superpowers.
Vengeance is a 2022 American black comedy mystery film written and directed by B. J. Novak in his directorial debut. It stars Novak, Boyd Holbrook, Dove Cameron, Issa Rae and Ashton Kutcher. Jason Blum is a producer under his Blumhouse Productions banner, and Greg Gilreath and Adam Hendricks are producers under their Divide/Conquer banner.
Firestarter is a 2022 American epic science fiction horror film directed by Keith Thomas, from a screenplay by Scott Teems, based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, and a remake of the 1984 film of the same name. The film stars Zac Efron, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Sydney Lemmon, Kurtwood Smith, John Beasley, Michael Greyeyes, and Gloria Reuben. It is produced by Jason Blum and Akiva Goldsman under their Blumhouse Productions and Weed Road Pictures banners, respectively, alongside BoulderLight Pictures and Night Platform.
Prey for the Devil is a 2022 American supernatural horror film about a nun who trains as an exorcist under the Roman Catholic Church and confronts demonic possession. The film is produced under the studio Lionsgate and is directed by Daniel Stamm. It stars Jacqueline Byers, Colin Salmon, Christian Navarro, Lisa Palfrey, Nicholas Ralph, Virginia Madsen, and Ben Cross. Lionsgate distributed Prey for the Devil in theaters in the United States and Canada on October 28, 2022. The film received negative reviews from critics and grossed $44.7 million worldwide.
The Exorcist: Believer is a 2023 American supernatural horror film directed by David Gordon Green, who co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Sattler from a story by Scott Teems, Danny McBride, and Green. The sixth installment in The Exorcist franchise, it serves as a direct sequel to The Exorcist (1973). The film stars Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett, Olivia O‘Neill in her film debut, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, and Ann Dowd. Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair reprise their roles from the original film. Its plot follows a photographer who must confront the nadir of evil when his daughter and her best friend are possessed.
Imaginary is a 2024 American supernatural horror film directed and produced by Jeff Wadlow and written by Wadlow and the writing team of Greg Erb and Jason Oremland. It is co-produced by Jason Blum through his Blumhouse Productions banner and Tower of Babble. The film stars DeWanda Wise, Tom Payne, Taegen Burns, Pyper Braun, and Veronica Falcon. In the film, a woman returns to her childhood home and discovers her stepdaughter's imaginary friend is more than imaginary.