Other Mommy (2026)
Other Mommy Review: Jessica Chastain Goes Full Demon in a Horror Film That Critics Love to Hate
Other Mommy is the kind of horror film that divides audiences down the middle, and in 2026, that division has never been sharper. Directed by Rob Savage (Host, Dashcam) and adapted by Nathan Elston from Josh Malerman’s novel Incidents Around the House, this BlumhouseâAtomic Monster production stars Jessica Chastain as a workaholic mother whose seven-year-old daughter is stalked by a shape-shifting entity that looks exactly like her. It is a film that swings for the fencesâsometimes literally, in scenes where the demon contorts itself beneath kitchen counters and grows to monstrous proportionsâand critics have responded with some of the harshest notices of the year.
The numbers reveal a film that critics have largely dismissed while audiences have turned out in surprisingly strong numbers. On Rotten Tomatoes, Other Mommy holds a dismal 19% critics score based on 93 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4/10, and a consensus that reads: “Despite a valiant turn from Jessica Chastain as the spectral embodiment of a smothering parent, Other Mommy proves too silly for its intermittently effective jump scares to add up to a spooky whole.” Metacritic assigned a 38 out of 100, indicating “generally unfavorable” reviews, while CinemaScore audiences gave it a D+âone of the worst grades for a wide-release horror film in recent memory. Yet against an $18â19 million budget, it grossed $85.9 million worldwide, proving once again that horror remains the most reliably profitable genre in Hollywood.
Critics have been unsparing. The New York Times‘s Beatrice Loayza called it a “sometimes-creepy, sometimes-hilarious schlockfest,” questioning “What is the other mommy supposed to be?” The Guardian‘s Benjamin Lee awarded it 2 out of 5, writing that the film begins as a “tense, creepy thriller” but devolves into “an increasingly absurd battle with a special effects oogum-boogum that gets less scary as the movie progresses.” Entertainment Weekly noted that the film was “panned as mother of all horror bombs,” with critics calling it “more silly than scary” and “excruciating.” The film’s Metacritic breakdown tells the story clearly: of 14 reviews, just 3 were positive (21%), 7 were mixed (50%), and 4 were negative (29%).
What critics did agree on is that Jessica Chastain is the film’s saving grace. Her dual performance as both the emotionally distant Ursula and the malevolent Other Mommy has been praised as “valiant” and “committed,” with the actress throwing herself into the physical demands of playing a demon with evident relish. The film’s production valuesâshot in Dublin by cinematographer Lowell A. Meyer and scored by Patrick Jonssonâhave also been noted as polished, even when the screenplay falters. Other Mommy is not a good film by most conventional measures, but it is a fascinating one: a horror movie that aims for psychological depth and lands somewhere between genuinely unsettling and unintentionally hilarious. For fans of Chastain, or for those who appreciate a horror film that swings big and misses spectacularly, it may be worth a watch.
Other Mommy Cast: Jessica Chastain Pulls Double Duty in a Committed Ensemble
The film assembles a strong cast led by an Oscar winner doing some of the most physically demanding work of her career:
Jessica Chastain delivers the film’s most talked-about performance in a dual role as Ursula Martin, a corporate executive whose emotional distance from her daughter is the source of the family’s tension, and as Other Mommy, the shape-shifting demon that wears her face. Critics have been unanimous in praising her commitment, with the Rotten Tomatoes consensus calling it “a valiant turn” and The Guardian noting that “Chastain is clearly having fun” even as the film around her falters. Her ability to shift between maternal coldness and demonic menace is the film’s most effective weapon.
Arabella Olivia Clark delivers a remarkably grounded performance as seven-year-old Bela, the film’s emotional center. For a child actor to carry so much of a horror film’s weight is a significant achievement, and critics noted that her fear feels genuine even when the scares around her don’t. Jay Duplass brings a weary, sympathetic presence to Russ, the unemployed househusband whose devotion to his daughter is the family’s one stable force. Dichen Lachman is commanding as Lois Anthony, the exorcist who attempts to help the family, while Arian Moayed appears as Frank, a family friend whose presence complicates matters. Karen Allen lends gravitas to Grandma Ruth, whose clairvoyant abilities and hard-won wisdom about pain prove crucial to Bela’s survival. Sean Kaufman, Adam Silver, Rosie Anne O’Gorman, and Alec SecÄreanu round out the supporting cast.
Other Mommy Plot: A Demon That Wants to Be Let In
The story follows seven-year-old Isabela “Bela” Martin (Arabella Olivia Clark), a girl struggling to adjust to a new school and to the growing distance between her parents. Her mother, Ursula (Jessica Chastain), is consumed by her corporate career, while her father, Russ (Jay Duplass), is an unemployed househusband who spends most of his time caring for Bela. Into this fractured family comes a supernatural entity that resembles Ursulaâa thing Bela calls “Other Mommy”âwhich repeatedly asks the child to let it into her heart.
One afternoon, Ursula returns home unexpectedly while Russ is asleep, ostensibly to have lunch with Bela. But something is wrong. Ursula’s mannerisms are stilted, her movements slightly off. When she asks to be let into Bela’s heart, Bela identifies her as Other Mommy. Russ enters the kitchen when burning food triggers the smoke alarm and, seeing the entity contorted unnaturally beneath the counter, flees the house with Bela in a panic. From there, Other Mommy’s appearances grow increasingly frighteningâit follows Bela beyond her bedroom, changes shape, and distorts its surroundings. At Russ and Ursula’s anniversary party, it takes on the form of Bela’s babysitter Kelvin and seemingly makes every guest disappear, lifting Bela to the ceiling and attempting to force its way into her.
Realizing they are in danger, the family goes to stay with Ursula’s friend Frank. At Frank’s house, Bela finds Ursula’s contact lens case, leading Russ to suspect his wife is having an affair. That night, Other Mommy appears and, exploiting the family’s tension, manipulates Bela into wishing Frank out of their livesâthen kills him in front of the family, surviving the gunshots he fires at it. The family flees to a fast-food restaurant, but Other Mommy attacks again, transporting Bela to a lake beneath a hilltop mansion, where it grows enormous and nearly crushes her, telling her that Ursula wishes she had never existed.
The family travels to the home of Ursula’s estranged mother, Ruth (Karen Allen), who claims to be clairvoyant. Ruth shelters them and hires paranormal investigators, who explain that demons are often drawn to children due to their innocence and identify Other Mommy as a trickster demon seeking to “carnate” into Bela and take over her lifeâthough it cannot do so without her permission. The team’s sĂŠance summons Other Mommy, but the investigators prove powerless and are killed. The family escapes as the entity continues threatening Bela. Determined to stop running, they return home to confront Other Mommy. Their weapons prove ineffective, forcing them to barricade themselves in the basement.
Hoping to stop the attacks, Ursula resolves to “destroy” Bela’s innocence and finally confesses that Bela’s real father is not Russ, but Ursula’s first husband, whom she left for Russ. She then admits that she never wanted to be a mother, but promises Bela that she loves her regardless. Ursula’s confession appears to weaken Other Mommy, but it devastates Bela, who runs to her bedroom and begs the entity to enter her heart. Other Mommy appears and promises that Bela will never experience pain again. Remembering Ruth’s lesson that pain is an unavoidable part of life, Bela fights back, repeatedly denying the entity permission until she defeats it. Months later, Bela, Ursula, and Russ happily hang Christmas lights together, though Bela notices a despondent look on Ursula’s face.
“Let me into your heart.”
