Discussion Film / Mama

Reading this article I noticed something that made me very upset. Someone, and I'm not sure if it was the same person or multiple tropers, is under the impression that Mama/Edith had Down syndrome and continually made entries implying that this was canon.

Speaking as someone who's sister has Down syndrome, Edith has pretty much no features that would suggest this. The only thing you could possibly go off of are slightly almond-shaped eyes, but her height, neck, and general body shape simply don't match up. It's been argued on here that her body was warped in death. I hate to break it to you, but bones do not magically lengthen after death. Also, when she says "Lilly", she has a very clear voice, whereas people with Down syndrome often have speech impediments.

Whoever keeps writing this is suggesting this theory in an incredibly offensive manner. Under Nightmare Face, they state "Played with in the sense that, before her death, Edith was clearly suffering from Down Syndrome; the postmortem decomposition exaggerated these features past recognition." The very fact they would imply people with Down syndrome have nightmarish appearances is grossly offensive in and of itself, but it's also 1) ridiculously presumptuous to use the word 'clearly' because as I've stated before she simply doesn't fit the bill, and 2) most people in the DS community find the implication that they 'suffer' to be ignorant and—you guessed it—incredibly offensive.

To my next point, under Dark Is Not Evil we get this lovely gem: "There are hints that she was initially committed to an asylum for some unspecified mental deficiency, possibly Downs from her facial features and hands, so more than likely she doesn't even comprehend that her actions are evil." This is yet another fundamental misunderstanding of Down syndrome. Many people with Down syndrome are fully capable of understanding the implication and gravity of their actions. The concept that mentally disabled people are these carbon copies of Lenny from Of Mice and Men, these innocent fools who cause harm and chaos without understanding, is a tired and frankly disgusting trope.

I have removed any and all mention of Mama/Edith having Down syndrome from the main page. I believe a theory of that nature should solely be confined to the WMG, although frankly I'd rather not see it at all.

Is anyone reminded of FEAR's Alma?

In one of their sessions, doesn't Victoria tell Dr. Dreyfuss that Mama made the doll? If so, Creepy Doll is wrong.

there is a possible shout out to Guillermo del Toro, excecutive producer of the film, I think:

the line in mama: Dr. Dreyfuss' Secretary: ""A ghost is an emotion bent out of shape, condemned to repeat itself time and time again""

and in Del Toro movie, the devil's backbone: ""What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain, perhaps. Something dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber""