Few and far between do I find myself these days watching a horror film electrified with a sustained glare of intimate fear that glosses over me. I have seen my fair share of horror films over the course of my life, as most people probably have. There isn’t much I can say about Goodnight Mommy(original title Ich seh, Ich, seh), the latest foreign language scarefest to come from Austria, other than nothing can prepare you for what is to come. You may think you’re ready to handle this type of intensified tension filled goodness, chances are, much like me, you most likely are not. This is easily one of the best horror films of the last five years.

Written and directed by first timer Veronika Franz, and Severin Fiala with a stylistic nod to the sickFunny Games by fellow Austrian Michael Haneke (the American version starred Naomi Watts alongside Tim Roth – I highly suggest you seek it out). As for this movie, it’s a marvelous, mad, and daunting adventure into the mind of it’s three characters as well as the house they inhabit.Goodnight Mommy is a brilliantly sinister horror film in the mold of such other well known classics like: A Clockwork Orange or even The Shining. And the premise hits you like a slap in the face (literally). In the countryside of Austria, a TV actress (Susanne Wuest) comes home after a very extensive facial procedure – and her 9 year old twin boys (Lukas and Elias Schwarz) suspect that she is not their mom anymore. She even looks like a creature from another planet, with only her straight faced mouth, and bloodshot eyes visible through a cocoon invested head of a gauze. As the plot progresses the children further think the woman is an imposter. Upon some Google-image sleuthing they stumble upon a picture of their mom sitting next to what looks like a doppelganger, They intend to get some answers.

A mason jar filled with beetles along with nice thin fishing line serves as ammo to secure the house with boobie traps in order to keep ‘Mommy’ imprisoned. It’s clear that something uneasy is taking place throughout the depths of the picture. So much so, when the big ‘twist’ is revealed in the third act, I couldn’t help but feel like I saw it coming. That’s not to say I didn’t throw my own two hands over my mouth in sheer terror, because I did..twice. A rare feature to happen in any horror movie I see…goodness, last month alone I saw Eli Roths’ The Green Inferno and didn’t flinch once. Which, I believe, is a testament to the boundaries of your direction. There was even a lady, in my screening, that walked out of Goodnight Mommy – her exact words were “I can’t take it anymore”. It will be interesting to see if America attempts to remake this one (I wager they will), and if they can capitalize on those uneven nerves.

So before I let you go, just a few disclaimers: Don’t see Goodnight Mommy if you have a fear of children, don’t see Goodnight Mommy if creepy bugs crawling around freak you out, don’t see this movie, I repeat, DON’T SEE GOODNIGHT MOMMY IF YOU HAVE A FEAR OF CHILDREN. Sleep tight my friends. Grade: A

By: Nate Adams (@TheOnlyCritic) on Twitter and Instagram