Other Mommy is the horror movie everyone is suddenly talking about. Jessica Chastain’s new supernatural thriller opens in theaters on Friday, October 9. It has already shot to the top of America’s trending searches this week. In fact, few horror releases this year have generated this much pre-release chatter. The Oscar winner plays two roles at once. She is a devoted mother named Ursula — and the sinister entity wearing her exact face. Early reactions, however, are sharply divided. And the film’s opening-weekend projections are all over the map.
So the buzz makes sense. Other Mommy comes from producer James Wan’s Blumhouse–Atomic Monster banner. It also adapts a bestselling horror novel, and it lands right at the start of the Halloween corridor. Here is everything to know before you buy a ticket.
What Is Other Mommy About?
The story centers on eight-year-old Bela, whose home life is already shaky. Then a paranormal presence begins imitating her mother. It looks like Mom and sounds like Mom — but it is not Mom. The entity, known as “Other Mommy,” slips into the family home and starts tearing an already rocky marriage apart.
Director Rob Savage has described the scare as a slow invasion. The horror comes from never being sure which Chastain you are watching. Is it the loving mother — or the thing wearing her face?
The Cast and Creators Behind Other Mommy
Chastain carries the film in the dual lead role. Arabella Olivia Clark, cast at just eight years old, plays Bela, the young girl targeted by the entity. Jay Duplass plays the father. In addition, Dichen Lachman, Arian Moayed, and Karen Allen round out the supporting cast.
Behind the camera, Savage directs from a screenplay by Nathan Elston. Before this, he directed the pandemic-era horror hit Host and The Boogeyman. Wan produces through Blumhouse–Atomic Monster, the genre powerhouse behind The Conjuring universe and M3GAN. Universal Pictures is releasing the film. It runs 93 minutes, carries an R rating, and reportedly cost around $19 million to make.
The True Story Behind Other Mommy
Other Mommy is based on Josh Malerman’s 2024 novel Incidents Around the House. Malerman, best known for Bird Box, also serves as an executive producer. He has said he was sold on Savage’s adaptation within minutes of watching it.
The book itself grew out of a genuinely eerie real-life moment. One night, Malerman’s brother tucked his young daughter into bed. The little girl then said goodnight to “Other Mommy” — seemingly addressing no one in the room. As a result, that strange incident became the seed of the novel. Chastain has explained that the film’s title comes straight from that story. It is also why the film is called Other Mommy rather than Other Mother. Those were the child’s exact words.
Other Mommy Box Office Tracking: The Numbers
Tracking for the film’s opening weekend is unusually split. Some forecasters put it around $20 million — below Chastain’s previous horror openings. On the other hand, Global Box Office projects $22–29 million. That would make it the biggest domestic debut for a horror book adaptation since IT: Chapter Two in 2019.
| Film | Domestic opening | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mama (2013) | $28.4M | Chastain’s first horror lead |
| IT: Chapter Two (2019) | $91M | Chastain co-starred as Beverly |
| Other Mommy (2026) | $20–29M (projected) | Estimates vary widely by tracker |
For context, 2026 has been a banner year for horror at the box office. For example, breakout hits like Obsession and Backrooms prove audiences are hungry for scares. With Halloween just weeks away, Universal’s timing looks deliberate.
Other Mommy Reviews: What Early Critics Are Saying
As of Thursday, October 8, Other Mommy has no official Rotten Tomatoes score. The site lists zero reviews toward its Tomatometer so far, so it is still early. The first reactions published elsewhere, however, lean mixed to negative.
Some critics praised genuinely unsettling moments but found the film messier than scary. One reviewer gave it only one and a half stars and called it over-directed. Another was kinder, awarding three out of five stars while admitting part of the ending did not work for them. The takeaway: critics are split, and horror fans will likely decide for themselves this weekend.
Why Everyone Is Searching for the Jessica Chastain Horror Movie
Much of the buzz comes from Chastain’s press tour. In a promotional game for Out Magazine, she was asked to name the ultimate horror “mother.” She picked Ellen Ripley, Sigourney Weaver’s Aliens hero, over characters from her own films. She joked that Ripley was part of the reason she wanted to become an actress. Then she apologized to herself for the snub.
She also told PORTER Magazine she wanted the film to challenge one expectation. Women, she said, are expected to feel grateful for everything — including motherhood. She described Other Mommy as “very female-forward.” Savage, meanwhile, is aiming high. He has said he hopes the entity becomes a new horror icon — the kind of character fans dress up as next Halloween. He also revealed that Chastain performed most of the creature’s unsettling physical work herself, on camera.
Where to Watch Other Mommy and What’s Next
Other Mommy opens exclusively in theaters on October 9. No streaming date has been announced yet. Universal releases typically land on Peacock after the theatrical window, however, so a digital debut later this fall looks likely.
If the box office beats the cautious estimates, expect the film to dominate horror conversation through Halloween. And do not be surprised to see the “Other Mommy” costume show up on October 31 — all sweet smile and wrong eyes. That is exactly what the director is hoping for.
Planning your weekend watchlist? See our Mayor of Kingstown Season 5 guide, everything we know about Marvel’s Zodiac, and Luke Grimes on Kevin Costner.
Sources: Wikipedia: Other Mommy; Just Jared: first reviews; Creepy Catalog: release guide.
