Goodnight Mommy

Goodnight Mommy is an American remake of Austrian horror film from 2014 that goes by the same name (Goodnight Mommy (2014) original title "Ich seh, Ich seh"

I usually don't like American remakes and much prefer the original source in most movies. But this one isn't bad. I think it was well casted. Naomi Watts plays the mom and the Crovetti brothers play Elias and Lucas.

The acting performances were very good. Naomi Watts is a phenomenal actress in everything she does. The Crovetti brothers did extremely well.

But I still feel the original film is the best of the two. In this American version, several scenes are missing from the original film. I think they might have done that to keep the runtime shorter. But unfortunately, this remake doesn't have the same bite and unnerving tension of the original. The original film really made you feel uneasy. This one seems to lack uneasiness, uncomfortable dread of what would happen.

Unfortunately, if you watched this one first, then you will know the plot twist and you might not experience the same enjoyment I did when I first watched the original years ago. But if you haven't seen neither of them, then watch the original first. The original is a proper horror tale.

As "Goodnight Mommy" (2022 release; 92 min) opens, Elias and Lukas are dropped of at their mom's place, as dad hurries away after the drop-off. Much to their surprise, mom's face is in bandages, resulting from "a little procedure", per mom. Soon things feel very off. IS this really their mom? At this point we are 10 min into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the second feature length from director Matt Sobel ("Take Me To the River"). Here he remakes the 2014 Austrian movie "Goodnight Mommy", and what we get is literally a remake, transposed to the US, nothing more, nothing less. If you've seen the Austrian original, as I did, you will almost certainly and inevitably ask yourself, like I did: "why???". There is simply no point to any of this. Some may say that it is a "faithful" remake. I call it a "pointless" and utterly unnecessary remake. The only reason that I watched it was that Naomi Watts stars as the "Mommy", not that you would know for much of the film (as of course her face is in bandages). If you have not seen the Austrian original, and are debating which version to see, by all means I strongly encourage you to check out the Austrian original, which is creepy in the best possible way. Whereas the Hollywood remake is not creepy, not scary, not fun. Not good, not bad. It just is.

"Goodnight Mommy" premiered about a week ago on Amazon Prime. Curiosity got the better of me and I finally gave in and watched it. I really shouldn't have. Of course don't take my word for it, and so whether you've seen the Austrian original or not, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Elias and Lucas arrive at their mother's house, to find her wearing a mask, and feeling very much like a stranger.

Once again, we get another remake, another remake that pales in comparison compared to its source material. The Austrian film is Chilling and unnerving, this was quite a pale remake.

No issues at all with the acting, competently performed, with a strong performance from the excellent Naomi Watts, and very good acting from the boys also.

They could have upped the horror vibe a few degrees, it just doesn't grip the viewer, for a so called horror, it's all too flat, and by the time something happens, the film is almost over.

Some good special effects, the nightmare sequences looked really good, but such horror moments were too few and far between.

Just watch the original, it's far superior.

5/10.

A shockingly dumbed down version for American audiences of an outstanding Austrian thriller, that lacks the impact, the brutality, the shock factor and the intelligence of its original. Instead you get the cinematic clichés, the sentimental overtones, the cheap musical dress-up and the spoon fed explanatory breakdown of a Hollywood style second class thriller. Watts is getting dangerously close to being typecast as the go-to actress for remakes, which can't be good for her legacy. The performances are fine overall nevertheless, are not sufficient however to even soften the crush that is the comparison between the two films. If you haven't seen any of them, do yourself a favour and watch the original without getting spoiled by this mediocre attempt of a crowd-pleaser.

It's not a shot-by-shot remake. Some visuals from the original (Austrian Version) remain, but they don't pack the same punch. While the twist in the remake did differ slightly from the original, it wasn't enough for Goodnight Mommy (2022) to stand more solidly on its own. The terror that's revealed in the Austrian version of the film is extremely exaggerated, but it gives the audience an idea of how obsessive familial ties can be and how dangerous ideas can take hold to shocking conclusions. Goodnight Mommy (2022)'s finale does not deliver that same shock.

Yes, the horror may be reduced. You can even nitpick at the twist that may be far from the original. Yet, Goodnight Mommy's surprisingly suspenseful journey and understated twist on the genre outweigh its faults. It's not especially memorable, but it's not bad either.