MOTHER OF FLIES - - Horror from the Family

Review by Adam Donato

January horror continues its slate with Mother of Flies. It tells the story of a young woman with cancer who travels with her dad to the middle of the woods to seek the healing practices of a creepy witch. The making of this movie is certainly a family affair. Directors John Adams and Toby Poser are married. The third director is Zelda Adams who is their daughter. All three of them are the main stars of the film. They even have another daughter who is also in the movie. They’re also really the only people in the film. The Adams Family, which is a cute name for their production company, is also responsible for Hellbender, The Deeper You Dig, and Where the Devil Roams so this is not their first horror rodeo. The film will get a release on Shudder so will it be good enough to generate mainstream buzz?

There’s something to be said about the charm of a low budget movie and the likability of a family owned operation. It even plays into the themes of the movie. The core of the story is the relationship between this father and daughter as they’re pushed to their limits in desperation for a cure. It’s the struggle of the trauma of their past and the lack of hope for their future. In horror movies, it’s important to care about the characters because that adds to the suspense of the scary sequences in the movie. Mother of Flies succeeds in this as by the end, audiences will be pretty endeared by the family bond expressed in the movie. The performances of the two are spot on, but how impressive is that when they’re actually father and daughter. They have good chemistry and have distinct personalities. 

Mother of Flies is truly an exercise in gross out horror. From the maggots to the snakes, this one drags you through the mud. The sequence with the snake is one of the most scary in recent memory. It’s surprising how good it looks too. The use of an actual snake coupled with some light cgi goes a long way to selling this effect. It’s so interesting seeing how low budget films go about communicating these crazy ideas. The witch in the film is played by, ironically, the mother of the Adams Family. Her performance is very grounded and doesn’t slip into cartoonish villain territory. 

It’s not a movie that can be watched by those with a weak stomach, but horror fans should be able to appreciate this little gem. Shudder does a great job of finding these underrated horror filmmakers and giving them a chance to work their magic on a dedicated target audience. It’s a shame this won’t get much run in a theater, but hopefully this is a success that can be built upon and the family can get their next movie in a wide release. Mother of Flies is a grueling horror feature with some heart that should be enjoyed by horror fans. 

Mother of Flies will be available to stream on Shudder on January 23rd. 

Rating: 3/5