Ma (2019)
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A group of teenagers who befriend a lonely woman find themselves terrorized by her after she lets them party in her basement.
The story
Teenager Maggie Thompson moves with her mother, Erica, to her mother's hometown of Franklin, Ohio, after Erica's husband leaves her. At her new high school, Maggie is befriended by teenagers Haley, Darrell, Chaz, and Andy. They convince veterinary technician Sue Ann Ellington to help them buy alcohol because they are not legally old enough to purchase it themselves. Sue Ann anonymously reports their activities, but they are released because of the officer's history with Andy's father, Ben. The next day Sue Ann invites the teenagers to drink in her basement. Over time, other teenagers arrive at her house to party and start to affectionately call her 'Ma', making her popular among the students.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Teenager Maggie Thompson moves with her mother, Erica, to her mother's hometown of Franklin, Ohio, after Erica's husband leaves her. At her new high school, Maggie is befriended by teenagers Haley, Darrell, Chaz, and Andy. They convince veterinary technician Sue Ann Ellington to help them buy alcohol. Sue Ann eventually invites the teenagers to drink in her basement, where they begin to call her 'Ma'. However, the group grows annoyed as Sue Ann continuously harasses them. One night, she drugs Maggie and takes her earrings, leaving her with cuts and bruises. To earn the group's trust back, Sue Ann lies that she has pancreatic cancer. The girls suspect she is stealing jewelry and break into her house, discovering her daughter, Genie, who uses a wheelchair. Ben, a man Sue Ann had a past with, confronts her at a bar with a tracking device. Sue Ann responds by killing Mercedes, Sue Ann's boss, and Ben. She lures Maggie to her basement, where everyone is drugged. Maggie finds Ben's body and is drugged. Sue Ann then tortures the teens, sewing Haley's mouth shut and painting Darrell's face. After Sue Ann stabs Andy for lying, a police officer is shot. Genie starts a fire while trying to intervene. Erica arrives to save the teens. In the climax, Sue Ann attempts to throw Genie into the fire and blames Erica for a past sexual assault. Maggie stabs Sue Ann, saving Genie, while the house burns around Sue Ann and Ben's corpse.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tate Taylor
- Writers
- Scotty Landes · writer
- Cast and characters
- Octavia Spencer · Sue Ann Ellington; Juliette Lewis; Diana Silvers; Corey Fogelmanis; Gianni Paolo; McKaley Miller; Luke Evans
- Genres
- psychological horror; thriller; crime
- Themes
- trauma; sins of parents; bullying; mother-daughter relationships; racism
- Tone and mood
- unhinged; bloody camp; nasty; empathetic
- Premise and plot tags
- psychological horror; teen horror; revenge thriller; serial killer
- Franchise connections
- A sequel is in development.
- Content notes
- blood
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances but criticized the pacing and unrealized potential. It has since gained a cult following online.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 55% · review count: 214; Metacritic · score: 53 · scale: 100 · review count: 39
- Awards and nominations
- Best Actress · Saturn Awards · 2019 · Nomination; Best Thriller Film · Saturn Awards · 2019 · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was produced by Jason Blum through his Blumhouse Productions company.; Principal photography wrapped in Mississippi, with some parts shot in Natchez.; The film grossed $61.2 million against a $5 million budget.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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