Ma

Play trailer

1:30

Ma

R

2019

1h 39m

Mystery & Thriller

Horror

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

55%

Tomatometer

215 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Verified Ratings

A lonely middle-aged woman befriends some teenagers and decides to let them party in the basement of her home. But there are some house rules: One of the kids has to stay sober, don't curse, and never go upstairs. They must also refer to her as Ma. But as Ma's hospitality starts to curdle into obsession, what began as a teenage dream turns into a terrorizing nightmare, and Ma's place goes from the best place in town to the worst place on Earth.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Octavia Spencer's performance overpowers many of Ma's flaws, but uneven pacing and a labored story keep this thriller from fully realizing its unhinged potential.

Read Critics Reviews

Sezín Koehler

Bitch Media

03/13/2021

[Ma is] an antihero of the highest caliber...The catharsis was glorious.

Go to Full Review

Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

09/30/2019

The movie itself is fairly ordinary... [But] when [Octavia Spencer] goes bananas, she pulls the rip-cord. She has all kinds of fun.

Go to Full Review

Roxana Hadadi

Pajiba

06/14/2019

Ma boasts an impressively against-type performance from Octavia Spencer but not much else that is either truly scary or emotionally engaging.

Go to Full Review

Jazzmin Crawley

Girl, That's Scary (Podcast)

Mar 16

"It's infuriating how this movie wastes the perfect setup for a villain"

Go to Full Review

David Day

Horror Movie Talk

Aug 11

6/10

This movie didn’t commit any mortal sins, and frankly, it was pretty well done. It’s just forgettable and uninteresting, which adds to the tedium of much of life.

Go to Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

10/16/2024

2/5

…even when the action gets rather too sadistic for comfort, and there’s some nasty stuff here in Ma, Spencer relishes the task of taking her kindly features and seems to enjoy suggesting considerable malice lurking behind that familiar smile…

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

.

05/15/2025

Don't make me drink alonnneee

See more

Sean

05/15/2025

So good, don’t make her drink alone!

See more

KAREN G

08/31/2019

One of the worst movies I’ve ever seen.

See more

!love...Movies

08/26/2019

movie was kinda boaring but that main actress did her part all of her supporting actors/actress couldn't pull there own

See more

Kenny

08/19/2019

The suspense of the movie held me captivated on what is going to happen next.

See more

Louis

08/15/2019

Was crazy and as the movie went on you didnt know what to expect. Went to see with my wife and we were guessing the when movie.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Tate Taylor

Director

Octavia Spencer

Sue Ann

Diana Silvers

Maggie

Juliette Lewis

Erica

McKaley Miller

Haley

Corey Fogelmanis

Andy

Ma: Official Clip - Manipulative Ma

3:06

Ma: Official Clip - Burning the House Down

3:37

Ma: Official Clip - Drugged Drinks

2:41

Ma: Official Clip - Ma's Vengeance

3:04

Ma: Official Clip - Running Over the Past

1:22

Ma: Official Clip - Ma Is Your Mom?

3:01

Ma: Official Clip - Just Like Your Daddy

2:46

Ma: Official Clip - You Wanna See Something Cool?

2:24

Ma: Official Clip - This Is Your One Warning

2:26

Ma: Official Clip - Dog Blood Transfusion

1:10

View more videos

The Black Phone

81%

88%

The Black Phone

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Black Phone

Speak No Evil

83%

83%

Speak No Evil

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Speak No Evil

Wolf Man

48%

54%

Wolf Man

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Wolf Man

You Should Have Left

40%

27%

You Should Have Left

Watchlist

TRAILER

for You Should Have Left

Us

93%

62%

Us

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Us

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Ma: International Trailer 1

1:30

Ma: Trailer 1

2:28

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

A lonely middle-aged woman befriends some teenagers and decides to let them party in the basement of her home. But there are some house rules: One of the kids has to stay sober, don't curse, and never go upstairs. They must also refer to her as Ma. But as Ma's hospitality starts to curdle into obsession, what began as a teenage dream turns into a terrorizing nightmare, and Ma's place goes from the best place in town to the worst place on Earth.

Director: Tate Taylor
Producer: Jason Blum, Tate Taylor, John Norris
Screenwriter: Scotty Landes
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Fuji Television Network (Fuji TV), Dentsu, Wyolah Films, Blumhouse Productions
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Language Throughout|Teen Drug and Alcohol Use|Violent/Disturbing Material)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 31, 2019, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): May 14, 2025
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 20, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $45.3M
Runtime: 1h 39m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)