PLOT: Bela, an 8-year-old girl living in a home with marital problems, confronts a sinister entity which comes out of her closet. The presence, whom she calls “Other Mommy,” becomes increasingly threatening to her and her family.
REVIEW: I still remember seeing The Odyssey in theaters and how much the entire audience freaked out during the trailer for Other Mommy. It had a very effective jump scare in it, and seemed to get people talking. And as someone who has been anticipating director Rob Savage’s next film ever since the release of the very underrated The Boogeyman back in 2023, I was excited to see his latest. Then Savage revealed that the film had “like 50” jump scares, and suddenly I was worried. And sadly, it looks like I was right to be, as Other Mommy is nothing more than lame jump scares and Jessica Chastain trying to make the most of it.
Other Mommy follows a young girl named Bela, who starts dealing with a scary entity that looks eerily similar to her own mother. Her parents, lovingly referred to as Mommy and Daddo, don’t have the most loving of relationships, and there’s clearly tension surrounding her work/life balance. They also throw some other stereotypes in for good measure to add in some manufactured drama. I guess getting chased down by a demon isn’t enough. I do appreciate how quickly both parents accept the fact that what they’re dealing with is supernatural. Too often, parents in these movies ignore what they see with their own eyes just to prolong the story.
I always appreciate that, no matter what big roles she gets, Jessica Chastain always makes her way back to horror. She puts her all into the role of both Ursula and the Other Mommy. Oddly enough, I actually enjoyed her as Ursula more, as it’s a grounded performance that says a lot by saying very little. Other Mommy, on the other hand, is somewhat creepy, but it never goes deeper than her just smiling, accompanied by a jump scare. There are some CGI enhancements done, but I always found her at her creepiest when she just stood there in the darkness, staring into the camera with those empty eyes.
Arabella Clark is great as Bela, but the writing around her character can be quite frustrating. Bela manages to be very ignorant to Other Mommy being a threat, despite her literally murdering people in front of her. I get it, kids can be very trusting and aren’t often logical thinkers, but it gets to the point of absurdity. She has a very playful chemistry with Jay Duplass’ Russell, who comes across as the ultimate dad. Severance‘s Dichen Lachman is completely wasted in a very brief role, while Karen Allen also gets nothing more than a cameo.
I never read “Incidents Around the House” (the novel from which Other Mommy is based) but the writing that ends up in this film tells me I should probably just avoid it altogether. Filled with tired tropes and boring stereotypes, everything here has been done better by other films. Hell, the similarities with this and Insidious are almost too numerous to count, with a team of paranormal investigators, a supernatural-leaning grandmother, and even the fakeout of the house not being the problem, it’s Bela who’s “haunted.”
On a technical front, Other Mommy can be quite impressive, with some very creative and dynamic transitions. The almost dream-like aesthetic had me feeling like I was in a Nightmare on Elm Street movie at times. There’s even a slow-motion head explosion that almost makes it all worth it. There is some genuinely creepy imagery so I don’t understand why Savage thinks the only way to scare people is with a loud noise and camera movement. I’ve never liked jump scares, but this film takes it to a degree that I’ve never quite experienced before. Whether it was just a lack of faith in actual scares or just a genuine love for them, they’re overdone and played out very early on.
Sadly, despite a promising trailer, Other Mommy follows the usual Blumhouse formula, focusing more on a viral marketing campaign than on making a legitimately good film. While the visuals can be top-notch, the story is a constant letdown, prioritizing jump scares over meaningful connection with the audience.
Other Mommy is playing in theaters on October 9th, 2026.
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