The first trailer and poster for Other Mommy have been released. The former was shown before select screenings of The Odyssey this past weekend, and Jessica Chastain's return to the horror genre looks positively spine-chilling.
From producer James Wan, one of the most influential architects of modern horror behind the Saw, Insidious, and The Conjuring franchises, and Rob Savage, the director of bold genre films Host and The Boogeyman, comes a terrifying trip into the darkening world of a young girl, Bela, who forms a relationship with a sinister entity in her home that looks uncannily like her own mother.
Academy Award winner Jessica Chastain (It Chapter Two, The Eyes of Tammy Faye) stars in a dual role as Bela’s mother and as "Other Mommy," a manifestation of the entity. Jay Duplass (Transparent, Industry) plays Daddo, Bela’s father, and Arabella Olivia Clark (The Housemaid, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle) plays Bela.
The impressive supporting cast includes Actor Award nominee Dichen Lachman (Severance), Emmy and Tony Award nominee Arian Moayed (Succession) and screen icon Karen Allen (Indiana Jones).
In an interview with The AU Review, Wan teased Chastain's performance in the movie when he said, "[She's] really the secret weapon. The secret sauce to this movie. It would not work as well as it does if it were not for her, and it’s truly not your typical slasher/horror villain movie. So much of what makes this movie work is what she brings to the table."
"It's part of the fun in watching this film and asking, 'Is this the good Jessica Chastain or is this the demonic Jessica Chastain?' You’re never quite sure which is which, and that’s part of the fun. Even more deceiving is the fact that Rob made this movie through the perspective of the little girl, and watching it through this young, innocent kid’s perspective, you’re never sure which mother it is."
"But what makes it fun is that the other mommy always just goes one step too far into fantastical territory," the filmmaker added, "and that’s when it breaks the reality, and the audience realises, 'Oh, this isn’t the good mother.'"
From Blumhouse Atomic Monster, Other Mommy is directed by Rob Savage, from a screenplay by WGA Award winner Nathan Elston, writer for the Emmy-winning sensation Succession, based on the New York Times bestselling novel Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman (Bird Box). Executive producers include Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Rob Savage, Josh Malerman, and Ryan Lewis.
Other Mommy arrives in theaters on October 9.