Last year, Dianna Agron starred in the pregnancy horror flick Clock, and the whole thing felt like a bit of a missed opportunity. In a similar vein, I was worried for Adam O’Brien’s Mom; specifically, that it would fall into the typical demonic child trope that frequently plagues so many of these genre movies. Thankfully, the concept is just different enough to matter. Anchored by a gripping performance from Emily Hampshire, Mom depicts extreme postpartum depression with horrific metaphor and eerie imagery.
Happy young couple Meredith (Hampshire, Schitt’s Creek, It’s A Boy/Girl Thing) and Jared (François Arnaud, Midnight Texas, The Borgias) are just moving into their new home together, only days after Meredith birthed beautiful baby box Alex. Meredith’s recovery to vaginal normalcy may be a bumpy one indeed! At first, their time as new parents seems to move at a relatively steady clip. Meredith experiences the typical trials that come with handling a newborn baby, including nasty diapers, baths, and baby basics. Jared seems much more up to the task, easily stepping into the role of a suave, caring father.
Of course, this being a horror movie and all, the trio’s time is anything but sunshine and rainbows. Meredith begins having strange visions of what appears to be a child version of Alex. Haunting nightmares bleed over into Meredith’s every waking moment. Neglecting her baby may only be the tip of the iceberg. Couples therapy cannot help the type of problems Meredith faces. Is it all in her head, or are the delusions telling of a ghastly future soon to take its icy grip?
Hampshire impressed me here, mainly being so used to her character in Schitt’s Creek. Meredith could not be any more different than deeply sarcastic Stevie Budd. Despite Meredith constantly making questionable decisions, Hampshire keeps her paranoia as rooted in reality as the story will alow. Jared stays likable thanks to Arnaud’s performance—in most other movies cut from the same cloth, the father figure gaslights or annoys beyond belief. Jared does none of this; he simply cares for Alex, and loves his wife despite her losing her grip on reality.
Mom does many interesting things with a well-worn concept, not content to rest on its laurels. There are a few obvious elements—silly jump scares stick out like a sore thumb. The final act breezes by maybe a bit too quickly when the setup has been calculated so particularly. Still, I cannot deny Mom leaves the viewer with much to ponder by the time the credits roll. Disturbing and effective, Mom will leave parents in the audience particularly uneasy.
Mom screened at 2024’s FrightFest Glasgow Film Festival.
