Aside from being the visionary writer-director behind the chilling yet gorgeous fantasy Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro has also become a prolific producer driven to foster new filmmaking talent, particularly within the realm of horror. Last year saw the release of Troy Nixey's twisted pixie tale Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, which delt Toro co-wrote and produced, and coming early next year, he'll be bringing Andres Muschietti's directorial feature debut, Mama, to theaters.
Inspired by Muschietti's creepy Spanish short of the same name, (viewable here), Mama centers on Victoria and Lilly, two little girls who have had a rough childhood to say the least. The tragic day when their father murdered their mother, the two sisters took off into the wood and vanished. Their surviving uncle, Lucas, has been searching for them for five years when they are finally discovered, alive but practically feral. He and his girlfriend Annabel take the girls in, but Annabel soon suspects there's something strange attached to these two. In addition to battling her own reservations about motherhood, she must also confront the girls' ghostly guardian who has a real jealous streak. Check out the official international trailer below:
Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau plays uncle to Megan Charpentier (Jennifer's Body) and newcomer Isabelle Nélisse, while the dazzling Jessica Chastain plays down her glam appeal with a dour brown wig to portray the girls' conflicted caregiver. While a January release date is often a red flag, it's possible Universal is looking a kind of The Devil Inside success. The exorcism-centered horror flick without any stars to speak of opened last January to be number one at the box office, and went on to make more than $100 million worldwide. With del Toro and Chastain's names attached, plus a creepy premise and some solidly scary visuals displayed in the trailer, Mama could prove a breakout in the midst of releases that are generally forgettable muck.
Mama opens January 18th, 2013. Click here for more on this movie.
