Octavia Spencer's 'Ma' metes out mix of horror and heartbreak

“Ma” - ★ ★ ★

Octavia Spencer never fails to infuse irresistible empathetic realism into a character, be it a sassy janitor in “The Shape of Water,” or a dedicated, no-nonsense high school teacher in “Luce,” previewed earlier this month at the 7th Chicago Critics Film Festival.

Now, in Tate Taylor's brutal high school revenge thriller “Ma,” Spencer puts her talents to the test by playing a sympathetic version of cruel sociopaths such as Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees.

It will be a tough sell for American audiences weaned on the easy depictions of villainy as evil incarnate, inhuman stick figures supplying senseless acts of violence for sensational effect.

In “Ma,” the acts of violence make perfect sense. Spencer, working from a sharp screenplay by Scotty Landes of Comedy Central's “Workaholics,” connects the dots by showing us that “senseless” acts of violence always make sense — at least to the perpetrator.

Spencer's detailed, empathetic approach to her character, Sue Ann, fits snugly into the framework of Taylor's “Ma,” a psychological thriller that argues our society creates its own monsters.

We do this through bullying. Through rejection. Through insensitivity and dehumanization.

But horror fans need not worry about the shock quotient.

Taylor — director of “The Help” and the Emily Blunt romance/mystery “Girl on the Train” — delivers the goods on queasy Stephen King trappings that will induce appropriate audience winces.

The main character in “Ma,” 16-year-old Maggie (Diana Silvers), arrives at her new high school, having just moved from San Diego to the Ohio hometown of her now-single mom (Juliette Lewis).

Maggie makes instant friends with a small group of underage peers who like to party with alcohol, something that they need help securing from the local liquor store.

Sue Ann, who works at a veterinarian office under a strict boss (a woefully underused Allison Janney), first refuses to buy booze for the kids. Then, she gives in.

She seems nice. And nobody thinks twice when she invites the teens to her cluttered basement so they won't be partying out at the notorious quarry “rock pile.”

Sue Ann only has three rules: One student must remain sober. No swearing. And never, never go upstairs. Wait, what?

Admittedly, “Ma” burns with a long, long fuse before the explosive elements kick in.

Once they do, the random mix of King horror elements from “Misery” and “Carrie” (the ultimate high school revenge horror tale) supplies the genre-required payoff.

But equally important, “Ma” slowly reveals to us Sue Ann's back story, unfolding the telling events of her own high school experiences with her classmates, among them Maggie's mother, plus the school Lothario (Luke Evans) and single dad of Maggie's adorable new boyfriend Andy (Corey Fogelmanis).

Even with a blunt ending, “Ma” pops with surprises, most of them mercifully not ruined by trailers.

Its chief surprise might well be Spencer's emotionally invested performance of a lonely, hurting woman who confirms something most adults know to be true whenever they attend class reunions — that the intentional or even unintended cuts received in high school can leave scars.

Spencer taps into that vast reservoir of grudges and unsettled conflict with a transparent, heartbreaking performance and creates, perhaps, the most sympathetic monster since 1933's “King Kong.”

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Starring: Octavia Spencer, Diana Silvers, McKaley Miller, Juliette Lewis, Luke Evans, Corey Fogelmanis

Directed by: Tate Taylor

Other: A Universal Pictures release. Rated R for language, nudity, sexual situations, substance abuse. 110 minutes