Jessica Chastain horror film Other Mommy earns one-star review for messy plot and jump scares

The new horror film Other Mommy follows a busy working mother who struggles with late work hours and guilt before a supernatural entity enters her home. Directed by Rob Savage, the movie stars Jessica Chastain as Ursula, alongside Jay Duplass as her husband, Arabella Olivia Clark as their young daughter Bela, and Arian Moayed as a family friend.

Movie Plot

Bela starts chatting and playing at night with a creature that looks exactly like her mother, earning it the name Other Mommy. The demon wants to become human by faking a deep connection and filling the gap in the child's heart, but the film reveals this double before the opening credits. After one of their closest friends is ripped apart by the creature, the parents casually stop by for strip-mall burgers to discuss how to kill it.

Production Details

The film is based on Josh Malerman's acclaimed novel Incidents Around the House. Universal released the movie exclusively attached to the second biggest film of the year and kept it hidden from critics until opening day to protect pre-ticket sales, with a weekend prediction of over twenty million dollars. Director Rob Savage boasted that the film features fifty jump scares, averaging about one every two minutes.

Context

Hidden-from-critics releases and heavy reliance on jump scares are common strategies in modern horror marketing to secure opening weekend box office numbers before word of mouth spreads. Literary adaptations in the horror genre often shift focus from slow psychological buildup to fast-paced cinematic jolts.