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Never underestimate the power of the short film.
For film school grads, the short film is often a critical assignment coalescing everything the program has taught you about lighting, direction, production design, and casting. But in the outside world, a great short film is often a creator’s calling card. It’s a visual first impression for those in the film and television industry actively canvasing for new talent.
In the case of filmmaking team (and siblings), Andy and Barbara Muschietti, now best known for their adaptations of Stephen King’s It and the DC’s The Flash, their whole career took off because of their 2008 short film, Mamá. The short attracted a lot of attention for the South American filmmakers, most importantly from director/producer Guillermo del Toro. The effectiveness of the camera work, the performances of the child actors, and the intensity of the scares introduced the siblings to the wider horror community. Eventually, so much so that they were able to expand the short into the very underrated 2013 feature film, Mama (now streaming on Peacock).
The origin of Andy Mushietti’s short horror film, Mamá
As filmmakers based in Buenos Aires, the Muschiettis were very aware that their location in proximity to Hollywood was an issue with them breaking into the film business. Looking to establish Andy’s directing potential, they self-produced their short film, Mamá, as a means to bridge that gap. It did its job and found its way to del Toro, who was impressed, scared, and ready to be an advocate for the pair. More importantly, he was willing to be an executive producer on a feature film version of Mamá.
It took five years of development and funding to get Universal Pictures on board in supporting the expansion of two children being haunted in their home by a frightening female creature into a fully fleshed out film written by the Muschiettis and Neil Cross (Luther), and directed by Andy.
The expansion of Mamá into a feature film
In the feature film version of Mama, the Muschiettis smartly build upon the visuals and child actors in the short. The little sisters are aged up a bit for more range, and are played by Megan Charpentier as Victoria, and Isabelle Nélisse as younger Lily. The two siblings are almost killed by their distraught father, but they’re saved by a shadowy figure in a remote cabin. Orphaned, the two are found years later by a rescue party in the same cabin where they’ve devolved into feral children. They say they were cared for by “mama,” but there’s no evidence of anyone else in the cabin. So, they’re taken back to the outside world and into the arms of their father’s identical twin, Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his wife, Annie (Jessica Chastain).
What the Muschietti’s do so well in the expansion of their story is that they allow the little girls to remain the point of view. The creepiness of them speaking to no one and having an attachment to a specter is not only a credible reason for their adopted parents to worry about them, but it also creates a scenario where two different parents are now battling for the care of these two children. And while the mama entity remains terrifying when revealed, there’s also a richness to the idea that there’s a terrible back story to her existence that ties her to these two children. It elevates the film beyond just jump scares and monster creeps into the realm of real pathos and pain.
When Mama was released in 2013, it became an unexpected success for Universal and the Muschiettis. From a $15 million dollar budget, it went on to earn almost $150 million at the box office. It put the siblings on the horror map in Hollywood, and it directly led to their work on the big screen adaptations of Stephen King’s It. From there, they worked on The Flash, produced the adaptation of the Locke & Key streaming series, and are currently executive producing the prequel series, It: Welcome to Derry, with Andy Mushietti directing.
Mama is now streaming on Peacock alongside a frightfully fantastic line up of horror films, series and more, streaming all throughout the Spooky Season!
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