Based on the extremely promising first and middle section, I was expecting an epic adopted seemingly unfit mother battle like the end sequence of Aliens, but in the end, the movie dropped the maternal theme for a quick family denouement that didn’t quite reach the usual bleak melancholic yet happy ending expected with the del Toro stamp of approval. In the end, Mama is a quite traditional horror movie with the image and trappings of a Japanese horror film. Worth matinee price, but waiting for DVD is also an option.