Other Mommy (2026)

I went into Other Mommy expecting something closer to Evil Dead Rise. Not necessarily the same movie, but I was expecting some pretty terrifying horror. And there are definitely parts of this movie that deliver that. What I wasn't expecting was just how heavy the rest of the story was going to be.

First off, Jessica Chastain is great. I mean, she's good in pretty much anything she's in, but she's especially creepy here. There's something about that big smile she does that is just unsettling. It reminded me a lot of Alyssa Sutherland in Evil Dead Rise, and there's even a moment that felt like it could have come straight out of that movie.

But the monster itself is really what got me. There are some really cool things they do with the way it moves and the different forms it takes. Some of those effects are just nasty, and the movie gets way gorier than I expected. I don't know how much was practical versus digital, but whatever they used, it worked. Add in the sound design, especially some of those noises you hear before you actually see anything, and there are some legitimately creepy scenes. It's definitely a movie that benefits from being seen in a theater.

I also thought the little girl was fantastic. We've seen some really good kid actors in horror lately, and she's another one. She has to carry a lot of this movie, and I think she did a great job.

Where the movie surprised me was everything going on with the family. There's a lot more to it than I expected, and it gets pretty depressing at times. But I actually liked how those parts tied into the monster and why it was targeting this little girl. To me, that stuff wasn't just thrown in there. It added to the story and made what was happening with the entity more interesting.

I think that's why this one is a little hard for me. It's a good movie. The story works, the acting is great, and the monster is terrifying. But I left the theater feeling kind of down instead of excited about what I'd just watched. It wasn't quite the horror experience I went in expecting.

Still, I'd recommend seeing it on the big screen. The monster and sound design alone make that worthwhile. Just know you're getting a pretty heavy family story along with all those creepy moments.

I really thought Other Mommy was going to be one of those movies where I spent half the time wanting to hide. Jessica Chastain looks terrifying in the trailer, and I was expecting something more like the newer Evil Dead movies. And don't get me wrong, there are definitely some scary parts. But I was not expecting to leave the theater feeling so depressed.

The monster is fantastic. Jessica Chastain is so creepy with that huge smile, and some of the things this creature does are just disturbing. I loved all of that. The effects are really good, and there were a few scenes where I was like, okay, dang, I didn't know we were going there! The little girl is also great. I don't know what's going on with kid actors in horror lately, but they've been doing an amazing job.

My problem is everything else they keep throwing at this poor family.

I get that the family needs to have problems. That's the whole reason this Other Mommy thing can come in and start making promises to the little girl. Okay, fine. But then it's like every time you turn around, there's something else wrong. And something else. And I'm sitting there thinking, come on, haven't we made this little girl miserable enough?

It's not even that those things are making the movie scarier. They're just sad. I wanted to be scared, maybe have a little humor here and there to break things up, and instead I just kept feeling bad for everybody. Just scare me, monkey! Stop making me feel things!

It actually reminded me of watching Drop Dead Fred when I was younger. I barely remember that movie, but I remember it leaving me with this weird, uneasy feeling. That's kind of how I felt after this one.

And I don't want to make it sound like Other Mommy is a bad movie, because it's not. The acting is really good, the monster is terrifying, and there are some creepy things that are going to stick with me. I just wish they hadn't piled on quite so much of the depressing family stuff.

By the time it ended, I was ready to go home, get comfortable, and watch The Great British Bake Off. I needed something happy.

I think it's worth seeing, especially for that monster. Just maybe plan on watching something cheerful afterward.