There’s an overwhelming lack of necessity to Amazon’s existentially pointless remake of the sleek Austrian horror Goodnight Mommy, a film that melted its chilly atmosphere with an overheated and overfamiliar last act twist. Without the fine, frightening direction of aunt-nephew duo Veronika Fran and Severin Fiala, we’re left with very little, a slick but soulless little movie that should appease neither fans of the original nor newcomers.
The crafty setup does remain initially efficient, though. Identical twins Elias and Lukas (Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti, both impressive) are returning to their remote home after staying with their father and are met with a shock. Their mother (Naomi Watts) has bandages around her face, the result (she claims) of plastic surgery – a refresh, something she deems vital to her career as a Hollywood star. But it’s not just her look that’s different; there’s something off – she’s aggressive and secretive, throwing away hand-drawn pictures and smoking in her room – and the boys start to question who is underneath.
