Cast member co-writer and producer Guillermo del Toro arrives at the "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" premiere during the Los Angeles Film Festival in Los Angeles, California, June 26, 2011. REUTERS/Gus Ruelas

When director Peter Jackson announced he was going to stretch his big-screen adaption of The Hobbit out over three movies, some cynics wondered exactly how one wrings nearly nine hours of film from a 300-page novel.

But Jackson's good friend Guillermo del Toro has gone one better - he's extracted a full-length horror movie from a three-minute short.

Mama, opening in theatres Friday, is the feature film debut by Argentinian director Andres Muschietti, with del Toro as producer. It tells the tale of two small girls discovered living alone in a remote cabin, who are eventually released into the care of their uncle (Game of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his girlfriend (Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain.)