Goodnight Mommy has what some call the scariest movie trailer of all time, a label that not only isn’t true but that perhaps sets unrealistic expectations for a horror film that is more moody than frightening.

The movie is about two young boys who begin to suspect that their mother, her face wrapped in bandages following cosmetic surgery, is not their mother at all. With her behavior becoming increasingly erratic, they decide to take matters into their own hands.

Goodnight Mommy is one of those horror movies that require extreme patience: writing/directing duo Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz undeniably take the slow boil approach. They maintain tension throughout as the boys become increasingly suspicious of their alleged mother, though the film straddles the line between methodically suspenseful and frustratingly reserved.

I was never bored, but I’m an impatient bastard. About an hour in I began to wonder when the hell anything was actually going to happen. I was intrigued, but ready for the film to reveal its true colors.

Thankfully, when it does, Goodnight Mommy thrives. So many slow boil horror flicks fail to deliver in the end, but Fiala and Franz reward the audience with a strong third act and a terrific ending.

Goodnight Mommy isn’t the most exciting of horror movies, and scary is not a word I would use to describe it, but it’s a solid thriller with a climax that you’ll never forget.

Review by Erik Samdahl.