“Can I go into your heart?”
Fans of creepy horror movies should find Other Mommy right up their alley. The film stars Oscar winner Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye) in the dual roles of Ursula, a working mother, and “Other Mommy,” a supernatural entity who haunts young Bela. You can tell Chastain’s characters apart because Ursula always wears glasses, Clark Kent-style.
Based on the 2024 novel Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman, the movie is directed by Rob Savage and written by Nathan Elston. James Wan, the horror mastermind behind the Saw and The Conjuring franchises, serves as the producer.
Read on for everything to know about Other Mommy.
THE CAST
Chastain leads the ensemble as both Ursula and “Other Mommy.” Her fellow cast members include Arabella Olivia Clark as Ursula’s daughter, Bela; Jay Duplass as Russ, Bela’s father; Karen Allen as Grandma Ruth, Bela’s grandmother; Dichen Lachman; Arian Moayed; Sean Kaufman; Adam Silver; and Rosie Anne O’Gorman.
THE TRAILER
On July 21, Blumhouse dropped the official trailer for Other Mommy. In the two-minute video, Ursula arrives home to eat lunch with daughter Bela. However, it doesn’t take the young girl much time to realize that the person standing in front of her, burning pasta, is actually a sinister impostor. “Do you want to know something silly?” the doppelgänger asks. “Sometimes I think about when you and I were one person.” A single tear runs down her cheek as she informs Bela that she used to exist inside her heart, then she creepily coos, “Can I go into your heart?”
THE RELEASE DATE
Other Mommy arrives in theaters on Oct. 9, just in time for spooky season. It was previously scheduled to be released on May 8, but Universal Pictures pushed it back on the calendar late last year.
THE CREATIVES
Rob Savage directs Other Mommy from a script written by Nathan Elston, based on Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman. James Wan is a producer alongside Savage, Macdara Kelleher, Judson Scott, Michael Clear, Alayna Glasthal, Ryan Lewis, Josh Malerman, and Catherine Magee. Artisans include cinematographer Lowell A. Meyer, editor John Cutler, casting director Heather Basten, and production designer Jeremy Woodward.
AWARDS PROSPECTS
Any other year, we’d say that horror films like Other Mommy would have a tough time being taken seriously at the Oscars. But earlier this year, we all witnessed a vampire flick, Sinners, dominate with a record-breaking 16 nominations and four wins: Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Score. Witch movie Weapons also claimed a trophy for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Madigan). If Other Mommy really takes off, Chastain could end up being a contender.
