The always impeccable Octavia Spencer is taking a detour from high-minded monster movies to take a trip to slasher horror, with Spencer being the horror. Newly announced with a fresh trailer dropping today and already releasing at the end of May, Spencer will be Ma in Ma, the next thriller to come out from money printing machine Blumhouse Productions. As Ma, Spencer looks to be a regular lady some ne’er-do-well teenagers ask to buy them booze. Not only does she comply, but lets them and other kids use her basement as a go-to party pad. Yes it’s a basement of a stranger whose house is in the middle of nowhere, but we all know how stupid Millennials are, right Baby Boomer demographic that definitely reads this site?
Well, the kid’s gullibility eventually means they start getting killed. All in all it’s a by the numbers slasher flick that’s an allegory for the dangers of young drinking or something. The real draw is Spencer who has an earnestness in all her roles that could easily translate into obsessive and unhinged. High-profile actors have about 3 choices of films to appear in outside their normal artistic material: Director of superhero organization, Villain of post-apocalyptic young teen novel adaptation, or horror movie star. Besides the drabness of some YA movies, these all seem like fun breaks from the more serious-minded work Spencer is more known for. Ma will probably be only alright but it has the potential to improve exponentially the more time it focuses on Spencer, so it’s worth keeping on your radar.
Ma releases May 31st, 2019
