My quick rating – 5.7/10. Going into Mārama completely blind might actually be the best way to experience it. I knew absolutely nothing beyond the horror tag, skipped the trailer entirely, and just hit play. Sometimes that works out brilliantly. Other times you end up watching ninety minutes of interpretive dancing performed by haunted vegetables. Thankfully, Mārama lands much closer to the first category.
Set in the year 1859, this movie starts with a message indicating the fact that this movie is based on the colonized past of Aotearoa New Zealand and why it’s important to know the past in order to go forward. It becomes obvious right away that this movie doesn’t intend to become a popcorn horror movie with many jump scares and ridiculous choices made by the characters. That being said, taking a trip to a creepy mansion in the middle of nowhere has never exactly been a winning strategy.
We get a brief glimpse of a bloodied young woman trapped in a room. You know, the classic “don’t worry, we’ll come back to this later” opening, we meet Mary (Ariana Osborne). She arrives after receiving a letter from Thomas Boyd requesting her presence to discuss her family history. Unfortunately, Boyd manages to die before she gets there. The mid-1800s equivalent of sliding into her DMs, sorta.
Mary is quickly hired as governess to young Anne (Evelyn Towersey) by Nathaniel (Toby Stephens), the owner of a remote estate that practically screams “nothing suspicious is happening here.” Naturally, plenty of suspicious things are happening there. As Mary, or Mārama, settles in, disturbing visions begin appearing whenever she looks into mirrors. It’s probably one of the few movies where avoiding mirrors is genuinely solid advice.
The film is a deliberate slow burn, but it earns that pacing. The gothic atmosphere is thick. Mixing dread, revenge, grief, and colonial history into something far more thoughtful than your typical horror story. Rather than relying on cheap scares, Mārama builds suspense with an unsettling mood and the growing mystery surrounding Mary’s family, her twin sister Amelia, and how Nathaniel’s fits into it all.
From a visual standpoint, this film is superb. The outdoor settings are gorgeous, showing off New Zealand’s landscapes, while the production design captures the period convincingly. The costumes, locations, and overall attention to detail make the world seem authentic.
Ariana Osborne holds most of the movie together and gives a great portrayal of a girl torn between two sides while discovering some very unsettling facts. The horror in this one is not about monsters but more about legacy, trauma, and the results of deeds that are not allowed to be forgotten.
Mārama may not appeal to those who expect to be continuously terrified or splattered with gore, but if you have an interest in gothic horror that relies on creating an atmosphere through characters and their stories with a bit of revenge thrown in, there’s much to enjoy. Solid feature debut for Taratoa Stappard. I look forward to seeing more.
