Holle Ritter | Contributing Illustrator

An extended metaphor of a child and her parents’ cooling marriage, peppered with cliche jumpscares, director Rob Savage’s new film “Other Mommy” fails to deliver a well-constructed horror film onto the screen. 

A classic childhood nightmare — a devil disguised as the person you love most — paired with the buzz from the infamous trailer promised so much potential. I was ready to sink into an exploration of trust between a mother and daughter: “Is this person my mom or Other Mommy?” 

“Other Mommy” fell flat. After an explosive exposition already revealed in the trailer, the plot relied heavily on bland horror shticks. The brightly colored shots and trippy visuals felt undermined by the dialogue that overexplains the plot while flattening its characters. 

In the film, the Other Mommy entity (Jessica Chastain) wants Bela’s (Arabella Olivia Clark) heart. The entity will do anything for the young girl (and her heart), even going so far as to murder for her. But, spoiler alert, Bela defeats it with the power of open communication and the wisdom that growth requires a couple of metaphorical and literal scars. 

To its credit, “Other Mommy” offers nuance in the portrayal of Bela’s parents. Mommy is an absent parent who chose her career and adultery over her household. Daddo (Jay Duplass) is a frequent stoner who falls asleep when he’s supposed to take care of Bela. 

Also, kudos to the film for skipping the trope of adults dismissing the kid’s supernatural experiences until someone dies. As soon as Daddo and Mommy witnessed the entity, they immediately banded together, trusting Bela. I wish the movie explored the tension between Mommy’s infidelity and the family’s need for trust.  

Ultimately, I wanted my free ticket refunded. As the man next to me exclaimed during the movie, “This some bullsh*t!” 

0.5/5