Creepy kids and juniors in jeopardy have been a staple of the horror genre pretty much since it came into being.

And with the likes of The Children, Orphan and Insidious doing decent business in recent years, the theme seems set to be here for some time.

While I have watched both those flicks (and a whole lot more like them), I must admit a lot of that is feeling that I should watch them, rather than necessarily wanting to.

But throw a terror tot film at me that both stars Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain, as well as being produced by none other than Guillermo Del Toro and I am interested.

Sure, Del Toro was involved in the recent Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark mess, but let’s give him a pass on that one.

Mama tells the story of Chastain and on-screen hubby Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who decide to take in his two nieces after they are found five years after disappearing following their mother’s murder.

Sure enough, things start going bump in the night, with the kids convinced the mysterious ‘Mama’ is responsible.

The trailer is effective enough, if somewhat cliché, so let’s hope for good things when the Andres Muschietti directed film is released in January.

About The Author

Simon Fitzjohn

Simon is a journalism tutor in London, who also just happens to be a movie fanatic, with a craving for the darker side of cinema. He has written two books, one on the horror films of director Bob Clark (2014) and the other on the history of the character Norman Bates (2015). His third book, on the work of British exploitation director Pete Walker, is due in 2017.