When teenager Maggie (Diana Silvers) moves with her single mom (Juliette Lewis) to the small Ohio town where the latter grew up, she eagerly seeks new friends but finds herself besieged by peer pressure. Maggie goes off for an evening with three classmates in a van that belongs to Andy (Corey Fogelmanis), hoping that strangers will buy them beer, but the only empathetic adult is Sue Ann Ellington (Octavia Spencer), assistant to the local veterinarian (Allison Janney), and even she refuses—until she realizes that Andy’s father is Ben (Lucas Evans), a security contractor. After buying their booze, Sue Ann informs Ben that his son is breaking the law. When Sue Ann offers to buy beer again, she insists the kids come to her secluded suburban house to party in the basement so that they won’t get arrested. And they are grateful and game, nicknaming her “Ma.” But they are not allowed to venture upstairs, where Ma has hidden her wheelchair-confined daughter (Tanyell Waivers). Flashbacks illustrate Sue Ann’s excruciatingly sadistic high school experiences, which left her miserable, traumatized, and obviously deranged—a middle-aged psycho-killer determined to wreak revenge on those who humiliated her many years earlier. Likely only green-lit due to the presence of Oscar-winner Spencer, director Tate Taylor’s unmemorable horror flick is not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (12 min.), the behind-the-scenes segments “Party at Ma’s” (4 min.) and “Creating Sue Ann” (3 min.), and an alternate ending (2 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a lame horror flick.] (S. Granger)
Ma
Universal, 100 min., R, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $34.99, Sept. 3 Volume 34, Issue 5
Ma
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