The Moogai

does what many modern horror movies fail to do. Jon Bell’s new horror film grapples directly with the legacy of the government’s theft of Aboriginal children from their families throughout the 20th century. It’s a grief-stricken concept, and The Moogai doesn’t shy away from the long-lasting effects and true despair of having a child forcibly taken. By using the monster, the titular moogai, as a stand-in for the trauma that continues to haunt the characters, the film effectively uses the genre to safely let the audience sit with this sadness.
Though there’s awareness surrounding this infamous period of history and policies like it throughout the world, The Moogai reminds us that we aren’t as far from this legacy as people would like to believe. Shari Sebbens anchors the story with her performance as Sarah, the mother who comes face to face with the reality of an unknown and uncaring force attempting to steal her children. Sarah, like the audience, is uninterested in the darkness of this past and wants to believe that she can find her peace and actualization without taking the painful steps of staring into her history.
In Its Attempt To Paint A Complete Portrait Of Motherhood, The Moogai Tackles A Bit Too Much

The Moogai Pays Tribute To The Biggest Issues Facing Mothers, But It Would Benefit From A Narrower Focus

The world Sarah inhabits is one she believes is starkly different from that of her birth mother, Ruth (Tessa Rose), and her ancestors, whom she tries to distance herself from at every turn. After she and her husband, Fergus (Meyne Wyatt), welcome their second child into the world, the moogai begins to shake the foundation of their family. In the early parts of the film, The Moogai interweaves larger discussions of motherhood, the dangers of giving birth, the impact of postpartum depression, and the terror of being misunderstood by healthcare professionals who don’t listen.
There are times when the scope of The Moogai gets out from under Bell, as the film attempts to pack in a few different storylines and can’t quite land on which one it wants to follow. This results in The Moogai coming off as unfocused. Moments that feel like they should be huge twists that the characters won’t be able to return from are resolved almost instantly. There’s no big reveal or shocking turn, as it’s easy to see where the narrative is heading from the start. However, this lets the emotional message of the movie stand on its own.

The connection between Sarah, her mother, and her daughter is a beautiful note that uplifts The Moogai.

The Moogai encourages the audience to see the spirits of these taken children not as ghosts to be feared, but as real people who were loved and should be remembered. It allows Sarah to shed her shame and judgment surrounding her identity and accept the rich history of those who came before her. These are enormously effective moments The Moogai handles well in the last third of the film, making me wish the trajectory to get there had been a little cleaner. The connection between Sarah, her mother, and her daughter is a beautiful note that uplifts the film.
It’s refreshing to watch a film that is so celebratory of the connection between mothers and daughters, and provides an uplifting ending that tells us a path to healing is possible. To focus on such an emotionally harrowing topic and give no hope for relief would have been tough to watch. Sarah and her family are instantly empathetic and relatable, as there are few people who can’t relate to wanting to see a family reunited at all costs. This is why it doesn’t quite work when Sarah’s painted as an over-tired mother; we inherently believe her from the beginning.
The Moogai Could Push Its Audience Further In Its Most Intense Moments

There Are Ways The Moogai Could’ve Gone Deeper Without Being Too Traumatic

Though there are stressful moments throughout The Moogai, I was never genuinely concerned that Sarah and her children wouldn’t make it out of the story safely. Bell was right not to include more examples of needless suffering and trauma onscreen, but there are ways the movie could’ve naturally raised the stakes and tension within the existing narrative. It’s a quick film, just under 90 minutes, and The Moogai takes its time setting the scene, as the most terrifying parts of the film are before we’ve come face to face with the moogai, when we’re still imagining its terror.
The Moogai is less of a horror movie and more of a meditation and exploration of a part of life that’s too painful to deal with through realism. This facet of the horror genre is becoming more common, and its projects, like The Moogai, can’t be contained in one category. To watch the film expecting to be terrified or shocked by body horror is a misunderstanding that would cloud the purpose of the movie. The Moogai uses the monster and horror as tactics, but it’s at its best when the story shows that it’s bigger than these two elements.
The Moogai will be available to watch in select theaters on May 9th, 2025.

The Moogai

6/10

Release Date

January 21, 2024

Runtime

86 Minutes

Director

Jon Bell

Writers

Jon Bell

Pros & Cons

The Moogai is emotionally resonant
The film’s story is bigger than its horror elements
The most terrifying parts come before the film shows the moogai

The Moogai loses focus at times
The horror elements aren’t too scary