Title – Other Mommy (2026)
Director – Rob Savage (The Boogeyman)
Cast – Jessica Chastain, Jay Duplass, Arabella Olivia Clark, Karen Allen
Plot – Young girl Bela (Clark) and her parents (Chastain and Duplass) must fight an evil entity that has taken on the form of Bela’s mum.
“Can I go into your heart?”
Review by Eddie on 28/10/2026
Managing to generate significant hype with a perfectly designed teaser trailer that positioned itself in front of keen cinemagoers catching The Odyssey back during its initial July release, Blumhouse’s latest low-budgeted horror affair Other Mommy is certainly not what I’d classify as a good film in any stretch of the imagination but its wild antics, unforgiving insanity and keenness to through us into the action without a thought for the morrow makes for one of the year’s most entertainingly bizarre and sometimes unnerving viewing experiences.
Adapted from Josh Malerman’s 2024 novel Incidents Around the House, writer/director Rob Savage, under the guidance of producer James Wan, has turned Malerman’s skin crawling tale of an otherworldly entity attaching itself to the life of young girl Bela (played here by a game and impressive Arabella Olivia Clark) into a gonzo experience that in one key stretch of film spanning no more than 10 minutes sees Jessica Chastain turn into a toilet, explode a man into a million pieces in front of Bela and her family Ursala and Russell (Chastain and Jay Duplass) only for the crew to head quickly off for a morning bite to eat before a haunted ball pit takes over.
If that sounds almost unimaginable in its on-screen craziness you haven’t seen anything yet and Other Mommy really is a film that needs to be seen to be believed.
Receiving a dreaded D+ CinemaScore on its opening weekend, clearly showcasing a divide between what audiences expected from the film and what they got, Other Mommy is never too far away from its next bonkers segment, conversation or supernatural happening that’s all gleefully overseen by Savage who goes wild with his edits and camera shot choices while allowing the once awards baiting Chastain to have the time of her life playing dual roles here with wide-eyed abandon.
Going through somewhat of a career lull over recent years, we’ve never seen Chastain quite like she is here, given free rein to go all in as the “evil” version of her motherly figure, Chastain’s commitment to the cause here is a sight to behold and as the film progressively dives further and further into the rabbit hole of lunacy and implausibility, filled with foolish character decisions, conversations and occurrences, Chastain anchors everything with an unhinged (Razzie attracting) performance that should be applauded for its care free and zany approach.
Able to generate a few notable jump scares and soaked in a sense of unease, both by design and through the unexpected, Other Mommy is low-brow genre filmmaking that leaves a lot to be desired but if you go along for the ride Savage’s journey through insanity provides a movie-going experience of the likes you’ve never had before.
Final Say –
It doesn’t take long to see why Other Mommy has been the victim of atrocious reviews and audience reactions but if you’re able to jump on board for the ride, Rob Savage’s horror film is a deliriously entertaining (in good ways and bad) Hollywood backed outing that relishes in its kookiness and care-free nature.
2 1/2 carpark ball pits out of 5
