A psychological horror film in the same vein as "The Babadook" and "It Follows" in which the "monster" of the film is really an emotional event that becomes a skeleton in the closet for the movie's characters. In "Goodnight Mommy," that event is a tragedy that occurs off screen and provides the film with a twist that some viewers might see coming right away but which didn't hit me until around the two-thirds point of the film, right about the time it's supposed to. It's an upsetting and effective movie, but I was disappointed that it veers toward torture porn in its final third. By the time the film ends, the violence has become the point rather than a servant to the film's point, and its gratuitousness took me out of the movie. Still, it's a very well made and acted movie, especially by the twin boys who play the little boys in the film. The movie's poster would have you believe it's a kind of "Omen"-esque story of demonic possession or childhood evil, but it's not like that at all. It bothered me deeply and stuck with me for several days after I'd seen it.
Grade: B+
Grade: B+