Article posted: 1/17/2013 6:00 AM

Del Toro's 'Mama' delivers old-fashioned horror

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Annabel (Jessica Chastain) tries to protect Lilly (Isabelle Nélisse) and Victoria (Megan Charpentier) in "Mama."

The uncle (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) of two orphaned girls (Isabelle Nélisse, left, and Megan Charpentier) and his girlfriend (Jessica Chastain) deal with some spooky happenings in "Mama."

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Annabel (Jessica Chastain) faces some otherworldly forces when two little girls come to live with her in "Mama."

Lilly (Isabelle Nélisse), left, and Victoria (Megan Charpentier) have trouble adapting to life in a real home in "Mama."

About this Article

"Mama" is something of a throwback, and at times a stunning one. At its best, this state-of-the-art modern ghost story — another scare saga from the Guillermo del Toro factory — recalls those earlier, less bloody days of fear and (not necessarily) loathing, when horror films were made for adults. I'm not partial to a lot of modern horror movies. But I like most of del Toro's work, and I enjoyed this one.