Heads up! Spoiler ahead!
Other Mommy was not what I was expecting. Going into it, I thought there was a lot of potential for the story to become something more interesting, but in the end, it felt like a repurposed IT story. Instead of Pennywise feeding on fear, we have an entity feeding on the emotions and fears of a child and her parents. It’s not a bad idea, but I couldn’t help feeling like I’ve seen this before.
The concept actually had potential, and I understand why the movie chose to focus on Bella’s coping mechanism. There was something interesting there that could have been explored much more. At one point, I honestly thought the movie was going to take a Coraline-like approach, with two different worlds and the audience questioning which reality was real. But that never happened. Instead, the story stayed pretty straightforward, and nothing about the plot really stood out to me.
I also thought the whole idea of figuring out who the “real” mommy was could have been much more interesting. The movie uses small details like the way she walks or whether she wears glasses, and I kept thinking, Okay, they’re going somewhere with this. They could have used those details to create more suspense, doubt, and twists. Imagine constantly questioning which mommy is real and whether Bella is actually noticing something everyone else can’t. But instead, the movie focuses more on the obvious parent-child relationship, making the direction of the story fairly easy to predict.
And about those supposedly “50-something jump scares…”, maybe technically there were that many if we’re counting every little scare, fake-out, and loud moment, but it definitely didn’t feel like 50 jump scares to me. Most of them weren’t memorable enough to leave much of an impact. It felt more like the number was part of the hype than something that actually translated into a terrifying viewing experience.
The pacing is fine, so I wouldn’t say the movie was boring. My bigger issue was that it was predictable. There were moments where I was waiting for the movie to surprise me or take a darker turn, but it kept choosing the safer and more obvious direction.
Thankfully, Jessica Chastain carries the entire film. Her performance gives the movie much more emotional weight, and honestly, she was one of the main reasons I stayed invested. Whatever problems I had with the story, she made the characters feel more real and gave the movie something to hold on to.
Overall, I found Other Mommy “okay”, mostly because I could see the potential for something much better. It had an interesting concept, some good ideas, and moments that could have led to a much more suspenseful horror movie. But it never really pushed those ideas far enough.
Still, I think it’s worth watching. It’s not a complete waste of time, and Jessica Chastain is absolutely worth seeing. Just don’t expect the next Coraline or a horror movie packed with unforgettable scares. There is a good movie somewhere in Other Mommy—I just wish it had the courage to become it.
3 out of 5
