MARA

Mara Movie Review

A group of people suffering from sleep paralysis share an even more disturbing bond--they're all being haunted, and killed, by a demonic force. I have been aware of this movie since it was released in 2018. It sat in My List on Netflix forever and I never got around to watching it before they dropped it. This morning, I turned on Tubi and there it was, the first suggested movie--as I had suffered from sleep paralysis myself just a few hours prior, I figured now was as good a time as any to finally check this one out. As it turns out, it really wasn't a great time to watch it, as a daylight setting was certainly not the best for this film. The movie starts off strong, with criminal psychologist Kate Fuller (Olga Kurylenko) investigating the death of a man the police believe was murdered by his wife, but who the wife and their child say was killed by a demon. The movie revolves around Kate's increased understanding of the phenomena, and Kurylenko does a surprisingly good job in the role--her facial expressions truly tell the entire story of the scenes she's in, and as I watched, I wondered how much she would excel in a silent film.

You probably know what's happening here

The story of the demon, named Mara, is an interesting one, and one that is based on various folktales from around the world. If you are a fan of A Nightmare on Elm Street, you will draw the obvious comparisons to that franchise, which will take away some of the enjoyment of this movie. The film does slow down a bit as well, and there may be a jump scare or two too many. One thing I love about the movie, however, is how Mara is presented--we start off by catching brief glimpses of her, then gradually seeing more and more until the final scene. 

Here's an example

The demon is creepy, and there are some genuinely scary moments in this movie. Going back to what I said earlier, be sure to watch this movie at night...I know I will the next time I hit play on it. Mara may not be a great horror film, but it is one of the better ones I've seen come along the past few years. 

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 7

Mara Movie Trailer