“Other Mommy” follows main character Bela, an elementary school-aged girl, and her parents, Ursula and Russ. They all try to survive a paranormal threat, Other Mommy, who wants to steal Bela’s body and “enter her heart.”
While many viewers were quick to compare the trailers to “Coraline” and that movie’s Other Mother, it’s actually based on the 2024 horror novel “Incidents Around the House” by Josh Malerman.
“Other Mommy,” released on Oct. 9, and starring Jessica Chastain, has practically nothing to do with the book besides the general idea and characters. The film doesn’t capture the same heart of the original book, with its themes being far less subtle and much more in the audience’s face. The movie does not let you forget that this is a tale about choosing who you let into your life.
Often, writers avoid telling the audience about their monster to create suspense, but before the viewer sees a single frame of the movie itself, they are told plainly that Other Mommy is a demon. It leaves zero room for audiences to ponder what kind of force Other Mommy could be, ruining the point of a horror movie monster. It’s scarier when audiences don’t know what the monster even is, but the movie makes sure you know from the first second. The movie could have been improved by cutting the opening quote.
The book accomplishes the uncertainty quite well. Through the first-person perspective of Bela paired with the written word, the reader never quite grasps the form of Other Mommy or knows what Other Mommy is or wants. The movie could have captured the same feeling by never showing the Other Mommy directly.
The movie tries to give the impression that Bela can never tell if she’s talking to her mom or Other Mommy, but Other Mommy never tries to act like the real mom. Every scene she’s in, you can tell it’s her just from how she acts. What could’ve been a great way to brew uncertainty in the audience is thrown away. A more subtle approach could have benefitted the movie greatly, making the audience just as paranoid as Bela.
Lots of characters in the film feel inconsequential compared to the book. In the film, the plot point that Ursula is cheating on Russ is one line that’s never brought up again. Entire monologues from the book were cut.
Certain things will inevitably be cut when making the jump from book to film. Films have less run time, and can’t go over every last beat of a book. But, it would be easier to cut the aspect all together rather than turn a plot point into a sentence.
An odd change between the book and the movie is Bela’s characterization. Throughout the entire book, Bela is adamant that Other Mommy is her friend, whereas in the movie, Bela is first uneasy and then scared of Other Mommy for the whole film.
Despite Bela’s fear, it’s not a very scary movie. The majority of the jumpscares didn’t even manage to startle. The CGI made the few deaths in the movie look silly, and the Other Mommy’s various demonic transformations look rubbery and unreal.
However, there is one thing to praise about this movie, and that is Jessica Chastain’s role as both the real mom, Ursula, and the titular Other Mommy. She does a good job at being both a terrified, uncertain mom and being a malicious, uncanny demon. She did the best she could with the material she had been given.
With a good premise, a good book it was based on and some good actors, “Other Mommy” had lots of promising elements, but it was mishandled, leading to a disappointing mess of a film and a generally unenjoyable viewing experience.
Copy edited by Isaac Russo
