UMMA

Cert 15

83 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong horror, threat, domestic abuse

I like Sandra Oh. She is one of those rare actors whose name can almost guarantee quality.

Thus, despite its unpromising, even cliched premise, Umma turns out to be a superior horror.

Oh plays Amanda who lives a quiet life, looking after bees with her home-schooled daughter (Fivel Stewart) on a remote American farm.

However, Amanda has secret - her tortured upbringing has left her scarred both physically and mentally.

Iris K. Shim builds up tension very effectively, lulling the audience into believing this is a psychological thriller before landing the heavy horror blows.

She develops the Amanda character carefully and smartly, delving into the way in which her childhood has dramatically influenced her own parenting style.

Meanwhile, her daughter, who has been wrapped in cotton wool by her mum is seeking to spread her wings.

In this regard, she is helped by the friendly local store manager (Dermot Mulroney) who recognises that she needs to live her own life.

However, the potential departure panics her mother who becomes ever more immersed in anxieties prompted by the past.

These are multiplied by the arrival of an unexpected visitor.

Umma is a low-budget movie with a very small cast but its makers use their resource skilfully and unsettle the audience without resorting to cliches.

I thought it was a clever and engaging creeper.