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What if the person who comes to comfort your child isn’t really their mother? That disturbing question sits at the centre of Other Mommy, the 2026 supernatural horror film starring Jessica Chastain.
Directed by Rob Savage and produced by James Wan, the movie adapts Josh Malerman’s novel Incidents Around the House. Its premise turns a familiar childhood fear into something much more unsettling: an entity appears in a young girl’s home and looks uncannily like her own mother.
The film arrived in US theaters on October 9, 2026, making it one of the new horror releases to watch this Halloween season. Here’s everything to know about its story, cast, reviews, and current viewing options.
What Is Other Mommy About?
Other Mommy follows Bela, an eight-year-old girl who begins interacting with a strange presence in her home. The entity looks and sounds like her mother, but its intentions are far from comforting.
Bela’s mother, Ursula, is often absorbed in work and the pressures of adult life. As the distance between mother and daughter grows, the mysterious figure begins offering Bela attention and affection. What initially resembles an imaginary friend gradually becomes a terrifying threat.
The entity has a disturbing request: it wants to enter Bela’s heart. Its behaviour raises questions about trust, emotional vulnerability, and the frightening possibility that something evil can disguise itself as someone a child loves.
As the situation escalates, Bela’s family must confront the presence and figure out what it wants before the haunting becomes irreversible.
The premise works because it transforms an ordinary family home into a place of uncertainty. A bedroom, a closet, or a familiar voice can become frightening when a child can no longer tell whether the person in front of them is real.
Jessica Chastain Plays a Mother and Her Terrifying Double
One of the film’s biggest attractions is Jessica Chastain’s dual role.
Chastain plays Ursula, Bela’s mother, as well as the sinister version of her known as Other Mommy. This gives the film a particularly disturbing visual idea: the threat isn’t simply hiding in the darkness. It can appear in a familiar face.
Chastain is known for performances in films such as Mama, It Chapter Two, and The Eyes of Tammy Faye. In Other Mommy, the challenge is to distinguish a recognisable parent from a figure that imitates her appearance while behaving in increasingly unnatural ways.
The double-role concept also supports the film’s central themes. For a child, a parent’s voice and face are usually associated with safety. When those signals become unreliable, even the most familiar relationship can feel threatening.
Other Mommy Cast
The main cast includes:
- Jessica Chastain as Ursula and the entity known as Other Mommy
- Arabella Olivia Clark as Bela
- Jay Duplass as Russ, Bela’s father
- Dichen Lachman in a supporting role
- Arian Moayed in a supporting role
- Karen Allen in a supporting role
Chastain’s dual performance is central to the film’s marketing, while Bela’s perspective gives the supernatural story its emotional focus.
Who Directed Other Mommy?
The film is directed by Rob Savage, whose previous horror work includes Host and The Boogeyman.
Savage has explored how ordinary spaces can become frightening when characters encounter something they cannot control. Host used a video-call setting to create tension, while The Boogeyman centred on a family dealing with a supernatural presence.
Other Mommy continues that interest in familiar environments being transformed by an unexplained threat.
The screenplay is by Nathan Elston and is based on Josh Malerman’s novel Incidents Around the House. James Wan produced the film through the Blumhouse and Atomic Monster partnership.
Is Other Mommy Based on a Book?
Yes. Other Mommy is based on Incidents Around the House, a horror novel by Josh Malerman, the author also known for Bird Box.
The source novel uses a child’s viewpoint to explore a presence that enters the family home and gradually becomes impossible to ignore. The adaptation brings that premise to the screen, using the resemblance between the entity and Bela’s mother as a central source of fear.
Readers who know the novel may notice differences between the book and the film. Adaptations often change character details, plot developments, and endings to suit a feature-length story, so viewers should not assume that every major event unfolds exactly as it does on the page.
The film’s relationship with its source material is also worth considering when discussing its ending and themes.
Other Mommy Reviews: Is the Horror Movie Worth Watching?
Early reviews have been mixed.
Some critics have highlighted Jessica Chastain’s performance and the disturbing potential of the mother-double premise. Others have criticised the film’s pacing, reliance on jump scares, and uneven development of its psychological themes.
The Guardian’s review, for example, argued that the film’s strong central idea was weakened by an inconsistent story and an overreliance on familiar horror techniques. Other reviews have been more positive about its frightening imagery and Chastain’s performance.
The early response suggests that Other Mommy may work better for viewers who enjoy intense supernatural horror than for those looking for a subtle, carefully structured psychological thriller.
Audience reactions can change as more people see the film, so any review score should be checked at the time of publication rather than treated as permanent.
What Works in Other Mommy?
A disturbing central idea: A supernatural entity that resembles a child’s mother is an immediately unsettling concept.
Jessica Chastain’s dual role: The contrast between the real mother and her sinister double gives the film a strong visual hook.
Family-based horror: The story uses relationships, parental absence, and a child’s vulnerability to make the haunting personal.
Halloween timing: Its October theatrical release makes it a natural addition to seasonal horror discussions.
What Might Not Work for Everyone?
Frequent jump scares: Viewers who prefer slow, subtle dread may find the film too reliant on sudden shocks.
Uneven storytelling: Early criticism suggests the movie does not always develop its strongest ideas as effectively as it could.
Differences from the novel: Readers expecting a completely faithful adaptation may find changes to the source story.
These are early critical observations, not a guarantee of how every viewer will respond.
Is Other Mommy Streaming on Netflix, Prime Video or Peacock?
As of its October 9, 2026 US release, Other Mommy is available in theaters rather than as a general streaming release.
It is not currently confirmed as available to stream on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Peacock. Its future digital rental, purchase, or subscription-streaming dates should not be treated as confirmed until the distributor announces them.
Because streaming rights vary by country, viewers in India, the UK, Australia, and Indonesia should check local cinema listings and official streaming services for current availability.
Where to check:
- Universal Pictures’ official movie page
- Local cinema listings
- Official streaming-service catalogues when a digital release is announced
Avoid subscribing to a service solely because an unofficial listing claims the film is already available.
Other Mommy Release Date and Movie Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Movie | Other Mommy |
| Release date | October 9, 2026, in US theaters |
| Genre | Supernatural horror, psychological horror |
| Director | Rob Savage |
| Screenplay | Nathan Elston |
| Based on | Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman |
| Producer | James Wan |
| Main cast | Jessica Chastain, Arabella Olivia Clark, Jay Duplass |
| Initial US viewing option | Theaters |
International release dates and distribution arrangements may vary.
Final Verdict: Should You Watch Other Mommy?
Other Mommy has a strong horror premise: a child encounters a sinister presence that looks like the person she trusts most. Jessica Chastain’s dual role, Rob Savage’s experience with supernatural horror, and the adaptation’s source material give it several reasons to attract attention.
However, the early critical response is mixed, with some reviewers finding the story less effective than its central idea. Viewers who enjoy jump scares, unsettling family dynamics, and supernatural entities may find it worth considering, while fans of slow-burn psychological horror may want to read more reviews first.
The film is now part of the 2026 Halloween-season conversation, but whether it becomes a memorable horror favourite will depend on how audiences respond beyond opening weekend.
Would you trust someone who looked exactly like your mother if something about them felt wrong? Tell us what you think, and keep following GHorror for more horror movie news, reviews, trailers, and release updates.
