{
  "id": 12997771,
  "title": "Other Mommy Review",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/other-mommy-review",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-08T23:58:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IGN",
    "slug": "ign",
    "url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/other-mommy-review"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Other Mommy, a horror film featuring Jessica Chastain, is now playing in theaters. Known for her work in prestige dramas and horror films such as Mama, It: Chapter Two, and Crimson Peak, Chastain plays both a mother and her demonic doppelganger in this new film directed by Rob Savage. Chastain's dual role presents a unique challenge for the film, which struggles to capitalize on the premise with a generic script and limited ideas to fill its 90-minute runtime.\n\nThe story follows a seven-year-old girl named Bela, played by Arabella Olivia Clark, who lives with her distant mother, Ursula, and doting father, Russell. Bela is aware of her mother's workaholic lifestyle, which is actually a cover for an affair, but the tension in the home is not enough to disrupt the illusion of blissful unawareness. Bela also spends time with a not-imaginary friend named Other Mommy, played by Chastain, who insists that Bela let her \"into her heart.\"\n\nThe movie attempts to build suspense through Ursula and Russell's acknowledgment of supernatural forces at play and the family's subsequent flight from home to escape the influence of Other Mommy. However, Savage rarely mines fear from the setting or its corruption, relying instead on the reality-warping powers of Other Mommy, which often come off as hollow and budget-conscious spectacle.\n\nUnfortunately, the film's inconsistent approach to depicting Other Mommy's illusions detracts from the intended impact, with some scenes featuring unconvincing CGI or brief practical body horror. This results in a movie that fails to fully deliver the unnerving atmosphere it aims for. Other Mommy attempts to draw inspiration from various films such as It, Smile, Coraline, and The Conjuring, but ultimately lacks the iconic visual elements or concepts that could set it apart from other works in the genre.\n\nDespite these shortcomings, the main hook of the film is Jessica Chastain's portrayal of Other Mommy, a maternal Deadite that manages to generate interest in the movie. Chastain's intense performance, while watered down by droopy facial VFX and rapid cuts, remains her strongest asset in the film. However, the screenplay by Nathan Elston falls short in providing Ursula with a fully developed character, reducing her to a checklist of unattentive mother tropes. The emotional reality of the family dynamics is not explored adequately, leaving the audience with an underwhelming conclusion that fails to satisfy the potential of the film's intriguing premise.",
  "summary": "Review: Jessica Chastain’s Other Mommy is a great idea looking for a better movie.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}