Other Mommy Review: Rob Savage Tries a Quieter Kind of Fright

This Other Mommy review starts with a simple question: what scares a child more than losing her mother? Director Rob Savage builds a 93-minute horror film around that fear, and Jessica Chastain gets to play with it twice. The result is spooky and well made, though it rarely surprises.

Other Mommy Review: The Story So Far (No Spoilers)

The Other Mommy plot centers on Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark), a young girl growing up in a comfortable home. Her mother works hard and is often away, so her father, called Daddo, handles most of the daily parenting. Bela feels the gap.

Then something in the house begins to fill it. A sinister presence appears that looks uncannily like her real mother, and it seems eager to be closer to Bela than the original ever manages. Bela starts a relationship with it, and the film follows how that bond turns darker.

The setup is clean and easy to follow. If you have seen a haunted-house story about a child and a bedroom closet, you will recognize the shape. The question is what Savage does inside it.

What Works in Other Mommy

The central idea is the film's best asset. A double of the mother is an unsettling image, and it taps into real childhood worries about attention and belonging. The story gives the horror an emotional reason to exist.

Savage is known for horror that leans on atmosphere, and he keeps that instinct here. The house feels like a character, with shadows and quiet spaces doing much of the work. Audience reactions describe it as very spooky, and that fits.

One refreshing choice, noted by viewers, is that the adults take the child seriously instead of dismissing her. That avoids a tired frustration common in the genre. It also keeps the pace moving.

• A strong, relatable emotional hook

• Moody, controlled atmosphere

• A lean runtime that does not overstay

Other Mommy Cast and Performances

The Other Mommy cast is led by Jessica Chastain, who plays both Mommy and Other Mommy. The dual role is the film's main draw. Her challenge is to make two versions of one woman feel different, and her warmth against the colder double gives the story its charge.

Jay Duplass plays Daddo, the gentle parent who keeps the household running. He brings a lived-in ease that makes the family feel real. Arabella Olivia Clark carries a lot as Bela, and she holds the camera without overplaying her fear.

The supporting players include Karen Allen as Grandma Ruth, Arian Moayed as Uncle Frank and Dichen Lachman as Lois Anthony. They add texture, though the script gives them limited room. The film belongs to its central trio.

Where Other Mommy Stumbles

The biggest issue is familiarity. Viewers have compared the film to Poltergeist, and others see a story where a lonely child bonds with an interloper in a closet. The ideas are sound, but they are not new.

Audience scores are middling, around 5.8 out of 10 on TMDB from a small number of votes. That matches how the film plays: competent, but short of memorable. Some beats feel predictable, and the secondary characters are thinly sketched.

The final stretch also divides opinion. One viewer felt the violence was earned, while others found the story too ordinary. Your reaction will depend on how much you value mood over originality.

Is Other Mommy Worth Watching?

Other Mommy is worth watching if you enjoy atmospheric horror and a strong lead performance, but it is not essential viewing. The concept is smart, Chastain is a draw, and the short runtime keeps it tight. Expect a solid scare rather than a genre-shifting one.

The Other Mommy release date is October 9, 2026, and it carries an R rating. That suggests intense scenes and some violence, so it is not for young viewers despite the child at its center. If you like spooky stories built around family fears, browse more horror movie reviews on our site.

For another recent genre pick with a different flavor, see our Resident Evil (2026) review. It is louder and bigger, while this film is more intimate.

Who Will Enjoy Other Mommy

• Fans of haunted-house horror and child-in-peril stories like Poltergeist

• Viewers who want to see Jessica Chastain in a dual role

• Anyone who likes short, moody scares over big spectacle