Mara(2018)
2018 · Clive Tonge · 100 min
Criminal psychologist Kate Fuller is assigned to the murder of a man who has seemingly been strangled in his sleep by his wife and the only witness is their eight-year-old daughter, Sophie. As Kate digs into the mystery of an ancient demon which kills people in their sleep, she experiences the same petrifying symptoms as all previous victims and spirals through a chilling nightmare to save herself and Sophie before she dares fall asleep again.
Horror · Thriller
5.7426 votes
TMDB score
2/5
Intensity
1/5
Gore
2/5
Stays with you
How Mara scares
It opens like a procedural mystery, with a psychologist investigating a strange death, before sliding into a string of nighttime nightmare sequences once the sleep-demon angle takes over. From there the movie leans hard on sudden jolts and startling visions rather than a steady build of dread. The fear centers on being trapped and helpless while you sleep, with a looming shadowy presence rather than graphic violence. It's more of a jumpy, spooky ride than something that will stick with you for days afterward.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Mara rates psychological 3/5, visceral 2/5, gore 1/5, lingering effect 2/5, and overall intensity 2/5.
- Psychological: 3 of 5
- Visceral: 2 of 5
- Gore: 1 of 5
- Lingering: 2 of 5
- Intensity: 2 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 70 of 100 — leans Jump scares
Supernatural vs Real-world: 10 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 35 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow-building investigative chiller that stays mostly tense and moody, with jolts scattered through the middle before ramping up hard into a punishing final stretch.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5.
How scary is Mara?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Mara rates 2/5 — moderately scary, delivering its fear through jump scares more than lingering dread. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be restrained with gore and fun-first. Some of it will follow you to bed, but it lets go within a day or so.
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