In the film, Spencer plays Sue Ann, a quiet, seemingly unassuming loner who lives and works as a veterinary assistant in a small Ohio town. One day she’s approached by a group of said teenagers, among them Maggie (Diana Silvers), who’s just moved to town with her newly divorced mom (Juliette Lewis). Sue Ann is reluctant at first, but relents and goes one step further: the kids can come drink safely in her basement. As long as one of them stays sober and nobody goes upstairs, it’s basically party time. For Maggie and her friends, this is like finding a suitcase full of money, and before long word spreads and dozens of kids are showing up at Sue Ann’s house every night. But of course nothing lasts forever, and as “Ma” (as she tells the kids to call her) becomes more obsessive about having the kids spend time at her house, their natural inclination to back away means the party is over and the mayhem is about to begin. Read More: Octavia Spencer, Melissa McCarthy Set for Superhero Movie at Netflix Spencer sinks her teeth into the role of Sue Ann with grisly relish, and Taylor lets her have at it with sadistic glee. Of course Taylor was also the filmmaker who had Spencer bake and feed someone a pie made out of shit in The Help, so it seems that these two old friends share the same perverse sense of humor. So does the film as a whole, for that matter: when Ma’s last 30 minutes goes off the rails in a rush of murders and mutilations, it’s all done with the joy of a 14-year-old watching his or her first gore movie. Relative newcomer Silvers is an appealing enough presence, and she and Lewis strike up an easy rapport as a mother and daughter facing the world on their own. Lewis also makes more of her smallish role than is probably on the page, wanting (perhaps needing) to be a “cool” friend to her daughter but willing to put the hammer down when the situation requires it. Luke Evans, Missi Pyle, McKaley Miller, and an uncredited Allison Janney provide support that plays well within the movie’s broad tone. Taylor directs in an uncluttered manner, and even if the story drags during the second act, Ma reminded me at times of a simple throwback to horror from the ’70s and ’80s, without necessarily copying the stylistic tics or visual signifiers of those eras. “Elevated” or “enhanced” horror this ain’t, and that’s what makes spending time in Ma’s basement kind of fun. read more: Must See Movies of 2019 Ma is out in theaters on Friday May 31.