Other Mommy, Jessica Chastain's horror film, opens to mixed first reactions
Universal's horror film Other Mommy, starring Jessica Chastain in a dual role, opens in US theatres on 9 October. Early reactions are divided, and Screen Rant's pieces look at the film's premise and its Josh Malerman source.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Other Mommy, a Universal horror film starring Jessica Chastain, opens in U.S. theatres on 9 October. Screen RantN “Other Mommy arrives in U.S. theaters on October 9.” Read at Screen Rant ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC “before the film opens Friday” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Mixed · 2It is based on Josh Malerman's 2024 novel Incidents Around the House. Rob Savage (Host) directed, Succession writer Nathan Elston wrote the screenplay, and James Wan produced. Screen RantN “Succession writer Nathan Elston adapted the screenplay from Malerman’s 2024 novel, Incidents Around the House.” Read at Screen Rant ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC “directed by Rob Savage (Host)” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Left · 1The Hollywood Reporter calls it a Blumhouse/Atomic Monster production. The Hollywood ReporterLC “the Blumhouse/Atomic Monster production is getting roasted” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗
Centre · 1In the story, eight-year-old Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark) is visited by a sinister entity that looks like her mother, Ursula. Chastain plays both Ursula and the creature, and Hayley Spelman also plays the Other Mommy in some scenes. Jay Duplass plays Bela's father. Screen RantN “Jessica Chastain gives an astounding performance as both Ursula and the so-called Other Mommy. Hayley Spelman also performs as the Other Mommy in some particularly creepy scenes.” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Screen RantN “stars Chastain as Ursula, whose daughter Bela encounters a sinister entity that looks just like her mom” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Centre · 1Screen Rant says Chastain told a Q&A, covered by CinemaBlend, that she asked Savage to try filming without the prosthetics they had considered. She played the creature as though looking like Ursula was painful. Screen RantN “she said she asked director Rob Savage to try filming without the prosthetics they had considered.” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Centre · 1Savage told Empire that the spirit gets in when Bela, at an age when she stops seeing her mother as perfect, starts to see her as a flawed human being. Screen RantN ““Just as those cracks start to form in Bela’s perception of her parents, that's exactly where Other Mommy worms her way in,”” Read at Screen Rant ↗
Left · 1The Hollywood Reporter says official U.S. critics' screenings were held only on the night before release, in New York and Los Angeles. Some international influencers, awards bloggers and a few credentialed Rotten Tomatoes critics saw it earlier. The Hollywood ReporterLC “isn’t having official U.S. critics screenings until the last minute, with previews held tonight in New York and Los Angeles” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Left · 1Those early reactions are split. The Jam Report, Global Box Office and Screen Space were harshly negative, and Global Box Office called it "Jessica Chastain’s worst movie in a long time". The Matinee Show gave 3/5 and Goldwin Reviews gave 4/5, and The AU Review praised the technical ambition but faulted the storytelling. The Hollywood ReporterLC “Other Mommy is a hot mess and Jessica Chastain’s worst movie in a long time.”“It has many layers, constantly reinventing itself. 4/5.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Left · 1The Hollywood Reporter notes that Savage had boasted of around 50 jump scares, roughly one every two minutes. Several reviewers criticised the jump scares as ineffective. The Hollywood ReporterLC “the film features around 50 jump scares, which works out to around one every two minutes.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗
Left · 1One reviewer, Sean Kelly on Movies, called the film "critic-proof" and questioned why Universal did not screen it for critics. The Hollywood Reporter says it is expected to lead the weekend box office with an estimated $20 million opening. The Hollywood ReporterLC “Other Mommy is expected to lead the weekend’s box office, opening to an estimated $20 million.”“I’m still puzzled why Universal opted not to screen the film for critics” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Centre · 1Screen Rant, in two pieces, takes a favourable view of the film's concept. One says it is a fitting follow-up to Chastain's 2013 film Mama, which earned more than $148 million worldwide. The other says its monster is more frightening than the ones in Bird Box, another Malerman adaptation. Screen RantN “Thirteen years after that film earned more than $148 million worldwide (via The Numbers)” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Screen RantN “the creature in Other Mommy is Malerman’s scariest entity to haunt the silver screen yet.” Read at Screen Rant ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- The Hollywood Reporter treats the film as a studio-risk story. It leads with negative first reactions and Universal's decision to hold back critic screenings.
- Emphasis
- Roundup of early reviews, the withheld screenings, the box-office forecast of about $20 million, and Savage's jump-scare boast.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Little on the novel, the monster or the cast beyond Chastain and Clark.
- Charged language
- “getting roasted”“hot mess”“pretty scary for Universal”
- For example
-
“the Blumhouse/Atomic Monster production is getting roasted by some members of a crowd that typically skews positive” — The Hollywood Reporter
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Screen Rant's pieces are promotional and enthusiastic. One is an opinion piece on Chastain's return to horror after Mama, and the other is about the monster and its Bird Box connection.
- Emphasis
- Chastain's dual role, the premise, Malerman's source material and Savage's comments to Empire.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither piece mentions the negative first reactions or the lack of advance critic screenings.
- Charged language
- “the casting couldn’t be crueler”“even more terrifying”“astounding performance”
- For example
-
“Now she’s the monster wearing a mother’s face in Other Mommy, and the casting couldn’t be crueler.” — Screen Rant
“Jessica Chastain gives an astounding performance as both Ursula and the so-called Other Mommy.” — Screen Rant
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Other Mommy opens in U.S. theatres on 9 October.
- Jessica Chastain plays both the mother, Ursula, and the entity that imitates her.
- Rob Savage directed the film, which is based on Josh Malerman's novel Incidents Around the House.
Where accounts differ
-
Whether the film delivers effective horror
- Left
- The Hollywood Reporter relays early reactions that are largely negative ("ludicrous finale", "failed jump scares") but includes a few enthusiastic ones.
- Centre
- Screen Rant calls Chastain's performance "astounding" and the monster "Malerman’s scariest entity" for the screen, without citing reviews.
Jessica Chastain person
Chastain plays both Ursula and the creature. Screen Rant says she asked to film without prosthetics so her own face would carry the scares.
“she said she asked director Rob Savage to try filming without the prosthetics they had considered.” — Screen Rant
Josh Malerman person
Malerman is the author of the source novel Incidents Around the House. Screen Rant links the film to his earlier Bird Box.
“another Malerman story is coming to the big screen” — Screen Rant
Left1 article
-
‘Other Mommy’ First Reactions: “Jessica Chastain’s Worst Movie in a Long Time”
Critical Roundup of first reactions that leads with the negative ones, notes the held-back screenings and gives the box-office forecast.
Centre2 articles
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Screen RantN · · Opinion
Jessica Chastain’s New Horror Movie Is The Perfect Follow-Up To Mama 13 Years Later
Celebratory Opinion piece presenting the film as a fitting sequel in spirit to Mama and praising the casting of Chastain.
-
Other Mommy’s Bird Box Connection Makes Its Horror Monster Even More Terrifying
Celebratory Promotional context piece arguing the film's monster is scarier than Bird Box's.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 7 Oct 22:21 First Screen RantN Jessica Chastain’s New Horror Movie Is The Perfect Follow-Up To Mama 13 Years Later Opinion
- 8 Oct 16:50 +18h 29m Screen RantN Other Mommy’s Bird Box Connection Makes Its Horror Monster Even More Terrifying
- 8 Oct 17:37 +19h 16m The Hollywood ReporterLC ‘Other Mommy’ First Reactions: “Jessica Chastain’s Worst Movie in a Long Time”
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.