Mom (2024) Review

Meredith (Emily Hampshire) and Jared (François Arnaud) arrive home with their newborn son Alex but their situation is far from a picture of domestic bliss as Meredith struggles with being a new mother and Jared focuses on his busy work schedule. A terrible tragedy is just around the corner and a sinister presence in the house leaves Meredith fighting not for her sanity but her life…

Adam O’Brien chiller delivers on all of the creaky floorboards, spectral voices and creeping around in the dark you’d expect from this kind of movie but the focus is squarely on Meredith and her fragile psychological state. The framing of many of the shots, coupled with the effective sound design, brings home just how the world seems to be closing in on her.

In the lead role, Emily Hampshire is mesmerising. Those of us already acquainted with her comedic chops on Schitt’s Creek will know what a talented performer she is but she’s operating on an entirely different level her, unafraid to show her character in an unsympathetic light but always allowing insight into where her pain is coming from, aided by sharp scripting from Philip Kalin-Hajdu. It would have been easy for Hampshire to launch into full-on histrionics but her contained rage and self-loathing as she continually assesses her own suitability to be a mother is heartbreaking.

In contrast to Meredith, husband Jared has assumed the role of Dad with gusto, wanting to read up on everything and feeling the joy of being part of a bigger family. However, he doesn’t fully connect with Meredith’s issues and thinks she should be embracing her new responsibilities while still cleaning the house and being sweetness and light when he returns from work. Arnaud’s switch from the initial picture perfect father to an irritant who corrects his wife as to how their child should be looked after is played with a deft touch, refusing to paint him as the bad guy while still pointing up Meredith’s frustration with him.

A sub plot, involving the couple’s counselling sessions with Dr. Simons (Mariah Inger), provides some respite from the tense household sequences and also informs the ongoing story. Simons’ questions aim to get to the truth but they also show how Meredith is somehow accepting what appear to be criticisms of her abilities as a parent and how she is slowly closing herself off from those around her and may soon be beyond outside help. Without giving away too much, this comes into play during the final act.

Much of the horror in Mom is of the psychological type but be prepared for some startling visual jolts too, including a dreadful vision involving a fireplace. There’s the odd jump scare but thankfully the movie steers away from a lot of the “quiet, quiet, quiet, BANG” tropes of folks wandering about potentially creepy dwellings. The chills here are the frightening effects of an everyday person’s mental degradation and hit far harder than a monster leaping out of a dark corner. Brace yourself for a gut-punch at the midway mark, made all the more powerful by the ominous build-up and having the worst of it happen offscreen.

Mom is a melancholy piece which impresses with its restraint in its handling of such upsetting material, using the fantastical to ground its realistic shocks. It’s horror without the histrionics, given life by a capable cast and screenplay which cuts to the quick. All that said, it’s Emily Hampshire’s show and, with The Substance provoking wider talk talking about award-worthy work in genre movies, allow me to point you in the direction of one such performance right here.

Movie Rating:

Mom trailer