Other Mommy
review by Bobby Blakey
I always love it when actors more known for serious dramas step into the world of horror. The latest, Other Mommy brings Jessica Chastain into the genre and co-stars Jay Duplass, Arabella Olivia Clark, Dichen Lachman, Arian Moayed, and Karen Allen from The Boogeyman and Dashcam director Rob Savage. Could this film bring that something special to the horror genre or is she not worth parenting?
Other Mommy follows Bela, an 8-year-old girl living in a home with marital problems, who confronts a sinister entity that comes out of her closet. The presence, who she calls "Other Mommy," becomes increasingly threatening to her and her family.
Heading into this film I had expectations based on where I thought it might go and while some of it does exactly that the overall arc is something else altogether. The film wastes no time getting right to the insanity within the first 15 minutes of the film and never lets up until the very end. On this front it stays interesting and crazy even when it gets kind of silly. The issue is there is zero set up and barely any compelling storytelling to bring it together.
It seems to be focused on how to get the jump scares than much else and it has plenty there. On the horror front it brings some great visuals and fun moments that is fun to watch and no doubt be the selling point for most fans. Had they delved deeper into the history of this family or the reasoning for it happening it might have elevated it to something deeper and more memorable.
Chastain is great and looks like she is having a blast. She weaves in and out of both “mommies” with ease and works to make for some creepy visuals. On the other side is Arabella Olivia Clark who is front and center to be the one interacting with everyone. She does a great job all around even though her
screams, that are valid, throughout can wear thin at times. The interactions between the two is the focus of the film and are the only slight peeks into something deeper but sadly not enough to really hit it all home.
The ending is a decent enough reveal, but also underwhelming and not all that surprising. There are easter eggs throughout that seem to be telling you leading up to it so felt like it just lands with a splat instead of a slap in the face it should have been. Had this final act been more thought out and surprising or shocking it would have brought the previous chaos home to something I think would have stood out.
In the end I enjoyed it for what it is and the kills and visuals make for a fun watch, with similarities to films like Evil Dead, The Exorcist, The Grudge and many others in the genre, but fails to really find its own place.
Decide for yourself and check out Other Mommy in theaters now from Universal.