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Other Mommy – Go to Your Room and Think About What You Have Done

The trailers for Other Mommy screamed live-action Coraline. I genuinely thought some studio executive had just ripped a chunk of Neil Gaiman’s story out, slapped a new title on it, and called it a day. I had no idea this was based off a completely different book. Still, the promotional material had a unique visual hook that suggested there might actually be something worthwhile buried in there. And there was... just not much.

Image by IMDb

A Refreshing Start

As always, let's start with the good. Within ten minutes of the opening title card, both parents have seen the Other Mommy. Better yet, they actually believe their child that she exists. The genre usually forces us to slog through 90% of the runtime with oblivious parents gaslighting their kid before finally turning face in the third act. Skipping that tired trope brought a much-needed freshness to the narrative. Unexpected, but in the best ways.

Image by Mashable

Jessica Chastain and the Creep Factor

This isn't a gore-fest, and it doesn't try to be. It leans heavily into being a haunting story rather than a serial killer flick, and it manages that atmosphere quite well. The movie takes its time revealing what the Other Mommy actually is—you're left guessing if she's a demon, a ghost, or some entity from another plane of existence, and they don't just throw it in your face right away. When her true form is finally conceptualized, it works beautifully. Spooky, but not over the top. A massive part of this actually working, is Jessica Chastain, who pulls double duty as the mother and the Other Mother. She navigates between the two roles brilliantly; you can see enough of a subtle shift in her acting to "know" which one you are looking at, but it remains ambiguous enough to keep you guessing whether she's the real one in any given scene.

Image by FilmBuzzer

The Trailer Trap and Jump Scare Fatigue

Now into the rest. Unfortunately, if you caught the marketing campaign, you’ve already seen the highlights. The best parts of the movie were easily handed away in the trailers, minus exactly one scene. You certainly know almost everything you need to know about the film before buying a ticket. To pad the runtime, the director relies on a barrage of jump scares. There were so many that over time they actively stop having any effect. You kinda' just expect them, get used to them, and wait for the next loud noise. I spoke earlier about the slow burn, but the fire unfortunately never arrives. The tension drops off like a heavy stone in the ocean, which was a shame really. They also forgot: The monster is better left unseen until the third act. We see the Other Mother's true form within the first 20 mins, and this leaves nothing to the imagination to scare yourself with.

Image by Screen Thrill

Plot Convenience and Shifting Rules

The plot itself is incredibly thin, but that's not actually the fatal flaw here. The real issue is the complete lack of a "why." We know WHAT the Other Mommy wants, but we never learn her motivations. Worse, the rules of this world are never established. Her powers and limitations dictate whatever the plot needs at that exact second. At times, the film suggests she can't be in the light—nope, there she is in the daytime. Maybe she can only affect the child, Bella? Nope, she's affecting others now. Maybe she's a ghost? Nope, suddenly she's stopped by a physical door.

Image by Reddit

This glaring inconsistency is shoved right in your face near the climax where "Daddo" (an incredibly annoying nickname, his name is Russ, use it) manages to hold her back from coming through a door with a couch. We have literally already seen the Other Mommy display feats of strength far beyond that, not to mention the ability to teleport. But, my god, the climax of the movie needs to happen. Add in a "fake" ghost hunting team introduced early on that just fizzles out when you think some serious shit is about to go down, and you have a script full of wasted potential. That whole subplot could have been removed from the film and no one would miss it.

Image by Dread Central

Final Score: 6 out of 10

I've seen many worse films, so I'm trying not to harp on it too much, but I really shouldn't have to compare movies based on the worst thing I've seen. When did we start accepting things as "better than something else I've seen" instead of putting them against the best of what the genre has to offer? That's a 2010+ problem, not just an Other Mommy issue. I'm not upset that I spent time with it, but the lack of internal logic holds it back from being anything truly memorable. Other Mommy boasts a phenomenal dual performance from Jessica Chastain and smartly bypasses some of horror's most annoying parental tropes, but it ultimately sabotages itself with ever-changing lore, excessive jump scares, and a plot that bends to convenience rather than logic. I would wait for home release for this one.

✅ Pros:

  • Parents actually believe the child within the first ten minutes.

  • Jessica Chastain delivers a brilliantly subtle dual performance.

  • The entity's true form is spooky without relying on cheap gore.

❌ Cons:

  • The trailers gave away almost every good scene.

  • Way too many jump scares that quickly lose their effectiveness.

  • The rules and abilities of the Other Mommy constantly change to fit the plot.

  • The ghost-hunting team subplot is completely pointless.

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