2015’s psychological horror Goodnight Mommy may have changed the horror game- and arguably for the better. Austrian directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala crush several cliches in their story about a not so typical family. As opposed to a rundown mansion, promising a fresh start, or even a cheaply rented apartment on the other side of town, the scene is set against a brilliant Austrian backdrop, in a sleek and modern home.
Goodnight Mommy takes readers by surprise with its startling approach to duality. The “ghost in the house” begins in this case as the mother of the twins, who appears horrific in a facial bandage after a surgery which we know little about. Franz and Fiala sharply contrast her rash and violent behavior with her slender physical appearance. From the very beginning of the film, we see her as a character who is already challenging the typical archetype of motherhood.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Goodnight Mommy is that is causes its audience to constantly question their preconceptions of characters. Though we initially see the mother as the “villain” of the piece, the unease is ratcheted up as we begin to also doubt the innocence of the young twin boys. Characters who are traditionally symbolic of innocence become muddled in with evil. Whereas other movies may allow us a breath of relief, Franz and Fiala ensure that every scene leaves the audience totally claustrophobic.
The film carries its theme of duality even into its photography. The rural Austrian landscape becomes a cinematographer’s dream, vividly contrasting green hills and golden farmlands with an increasingly twisted plot. Goodnight Mommy runs long at an hour an 40 minutes, but rushes by in a menagerie of creatively executed shots.
Critics were left divided after the film’s release, with some praising its intense provocation and others damning it as near torture porn. The final third of the film is intensely gruesome, where scenes depicting the mother’s physical torture become bloody and almost excruciatingly long. Though some may argue the merit of these scenes in regards to character development, viewers are left stuck with splayed fingers across their faces for more than a few minutes.
Goodnight Mommy is completely unprecedented in its unique depiction of the “horror family”. It will challenge, disgust, and horrify its viewer just as much as it will charm. While gruesome scenes may not be for the faint of heart, it is a must see for any horror fan who is sick and tired of overdrawn and cliched plots. Though we could do with a little less blood, we are also left hopeful that more than a few new directors will take cues from these pioneers of a “new kind” of horror.
One thought on “Goodnight Mommy: Horror’s Latest Direction”
I love that you touch on the overdone, cliches of horror movies and proceed to introduce a contrast with this film. I think it was also clever of you to base your review around the focal point of the archetypal mother. Horror movies are often meant to skew a reality in order to make their viewers uncomfortable and put them on the edge, and it seems that the directors achieve that goal by presenting a mother in a different light. It would have been interesting to hear more about more subtle elements of the film, such as sound choice and lighting. Does the movie follow in the footsteps of other recent horror movies by primarily utilizing jump scares with sharp background noises in order to incite fear? Does the movie use of a mix of color schemes and various lighting, or do the directors keep the scenes bleak and muddled? Though the movie does not necessarily rely on a cliched plot, your review leaves me wondering whether the directors rely on the cliche techniques that many new horror movies have overdone.