What actually happens
The cheapest venue in Ohio
Erica takes her daughter Maggie Thompson back to her hometown of Franklin, Ohio, after her husband leaves. At her new school Maggie befriends Haley, Darrell, Chaz and Andy, and the group talks Sue Ann Ellington, a veterinary technician, into buying them alcohol. Sue Ann anonymously reports them to the police, but they are let go because the officer has history with Ben, Andy's father. The next day she invites them to drink in her basement, and over time more teenagers show up and start affectionately calling her Ma.
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The earrings and the bracelet
The teenagers grow annoyed as Sue Ann keeps pushing them into spending time with her. One evening she drugs Maggie and takes her earrings, and Maggie wakes up the next morning with cuts and bruises and the earrings gone. Maggie tells Andy she wants nothing more to do with Sue Ann's house. To win the group back, Sue Ann claims to have pancreatic cancer, which is a lie. Haley notices Sue Ann wearing a bracelet that belongs to a friend, and the girls suspect she has been stealing their jewelry. They break into her house and are surprised by Genie, Sue Ann's daughter, who uses a wheelchair at school but is walking around at home. Maggie and Haley get out before Sue Ann comes home.
Ben asks questions over drinks
Ben was in high school with Sue Ann, and he drops off his cat at her work and asks her out for drinks. At the bar he shows her a tracking device from his company vehicles, one of which Andy keeps borrowing, and tells her to stay away from his son. Years earlier, in high school, Sue Ann was tricked into an assault she thought involved Ben, and he got the school to watch, including his girlfriend Mercedes and a young Erica. Sue Ann runs Mercedes over with her truck, kills her boss, then takes blood from Louie, Maggie's dog, and lures Ben to her house. There she ties him to a bed, changes her mind about cutting him, transfuses Louie's blood into him, cuts his wrist and leaves him there to die.
A birthday party with the doors locked
Maggie tells Erica the truth, and Erica briefly confronts Sue Ann. Sue Ann lures Maggie to her basement with a photo of herself with Andy, supposedly for Chaz's birthday party. Only the original group is there, and everyone is drugged. Maggie goes for help instead, finds Ben's body, and is drugged too. This is the scene people dread most, near the end, so here is exactly what happens: Maggie wakes chained in the basement while Sue Ann sews Haley's mouth shut, irons Chaz's stomach and paints Darrell's face white. Andy wakes and tells Sue Ann he loves her, they kiss, and then she stabs him because he was lying. A police officer arrives after Maggie screams for help, and Sue Ann shoots him. She then makes Maggie gather her friends for photos.
The ending, explained
Sue Ann tries to hang Maggie, but Genie steps in and starts a fire as she does. The others wake up and try to get out as it spreads. Erica, guessing where Maggie is, arrives with a co-worker to rescue the teenagers. Sue Ann tries to shove her own daughter Genie into the fire and accuses Erica of letting the assault happen years ago. Erica says she regrets it, and Maggie stabs Sue Ann, which saves Genie. The group gets outside, and Sue Ann walks upstairs and lies down next to Ben's corpse as the house burns.
The post-credits ruling
There is no post-credits scene. You can leave when the credits start.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: fine, no dog dies.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is Ma scary?
Somewhat, Ma is a 4 out of 10 with low dread. It has some jump scares and a few cruel scenes in the last act, and most of the fear comes from the basement parties going wrong.
How does Ma end?
Maggie stabs Sue Ann while the basement fire spreads, and the group runs outside. Sue Ann stays in the burning house, lying down next to Ben's body.
Does the dog die in Ma?
No dog dies in Ma. Sue Ann draws blood from Maggie's dog Louie, but Louie is not killed.
Is there a post-credits scene in Ma?
No. Ma has no post-credits scene, so you can leave when the credits start.
Why does Sue Ann go after Maggie and her friends in Ma?
Years earlier, in high school, Sue Ann was tricked into an assault that Ben arranged for the school to watch, including a young Erica, who is Maggie's mother. Sue Ann goes after Ben, Mercedes and the teenagers connected to them, and she blames Erica for not stopping it.
