10 CGI Horror Movie Shots You Never Noticed
5. Mama’s Hair - Mama
When two children are found in a remote cabin years after they first went missing, their family rejoices at being able to bring them home. Unfortunately, the celebrations don’t last long, as it turns out they’ve actually been adopted by a malicious spirit.
Awkward.
This is the premise of Mama, a 2013 film about loss, grief, and the powerful bond of parenthood.
The titular spectre continues to haunt the girls and their family from the shadows, only getting fully revealed towards the end of the runtime. While most of the creature is brought to life by Javier Botet, a tremendous physical actor who has played a number of other horror monsters, one feature had to be dealt with using technology.
Mama’s wild, unruly hair was created from CGI, which is how it looks like it’s magically floating in the air. Botet was able to do everything else himself, but even he couldn’t defy the laws of physics.
It might seem a bit silly to spend so much time and money on a character’s hair, but imagining Mama without her levitating locks is a hard task. It’s part of her look and, therefore, part of this film’s appeal.