Let me begin by saying this: the less you know about Goodnight Mommy going into it, the better. Even if you've seen the little two and a half minute trailer, try and put everything about it in the back of your mind and go in blind. This will help you experience the film a lot better than knowing too much. So, as you keep reading, understand that I will not be giving away any major plot points or spoilers. Even my little half-assed plot summary may be too much. Just seek this movie out and see it... if you're a horror fan. I'm not talking horror in the sense that you really like all the Paranormal Activity movies or you've seen at least four or more Saw films beyond the first one. I'm talking, like, you went and saw The Babadook in theaters and loved every second of it type of horror fan. You don't need a lot of gore and you don't go see a horror fan hoping to get cheap jump scares out of your girlfriend, like you like horror so much that you risk being unnerved for the next few days. I'll tell you this-- I saw Goodnight Mommy over three weeks ago and have now just been able to sit down and write about it. It's that crazy.
Let me stop myself before I blow the film out of proportion. It's a very solid horror flick, but you must have patience. It's a very slow build to a very intense climax. But, let me reiterate, the build is very slow. I even found myself (while still engrossed in the story) wondering if it was going to make that turn into horror territory... and oh, yes, my friends, it most certainly did. So, stick with it. The very general premise is this-- we begin with identical twin brothers Lukas and Elias. They're besties, they play outside together, they throw rocks at each other, and they never leave each other's side. Their mother has just returned home from what can be assumed is facial plastic surgery. Her entire face is wrapped up and the boys immediately begin to fear her. Elias is able to let it go quicker than Lukas who gets it in his mind that this woman may not, in fact, be their actual mother. The problem only exacerbates when Lukas gives mom the cold shoulder, and mom gives it right back. I mean, you can argue that Lukas is just a kid who doesn't understand, but it's hard to see your mother through this:
There's a lot that works in this movie that lends perfectly to the horror. First, the boys' performances are stellar. Whether she turns out to be the actual mother or something entirely different, it's the boys that immediately turn you to their side. Whoever this person is, mom or not, is definitely acting strange and you want to figure out the mystery as badly as they do. What's also very clever is that these boys don't do anything during their investigation outside of their own 11-year-old abilities. Every test they try or mystery they try to solve is done with the mental capacity of an 11 year old boy. It's quite ingenious.
There's also the heightened sense of sound that is going on in the film to add to the tension. Whether it's footsteps on the wooden stairs or a drop of water in a sink, the sound is heightened to add that extra bit of tension that is constantly building throughout the story until everything comes to a head. I do have to say this... don't go in with a weak stomach. There are some quite unsettling moments in the film. And while it doesn't have the same in-your-face, over-the-top Eli Roth type gore... it doesn't have to in order to be cringeworthy and effective-- and it is both.
Much like The Babadook, this low budget horror has what a horror fan wants and needs out of good horror. Austria is slowly becoming the benchmark of great, cheap horror... something Hollywood needs to catch on to. And I'm sure this film will be remade in English in a couple of years and miss the point entirely, but while the film is out, and if you're serious about your scary movies this October... Goodnight Mommy is certainly one to seek out.
A-
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