After garnering attention on social media from its chilling trailer that debuted before Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” Rob Savage’s “Other Mommy” struggled to deliver on the terror promised by the film’s marketing.
The film follows eight-year-old Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark) and her parents Ursula (Jessica Chastain) and Russell (Jay Duplass) as they combat an evil entity that took the form of Bela’s mother. “Other Mommy” explores a promising premise, but lacks enough tension and emotional intrigue to be remotely scary.
Although “Other Mommy” starts strong with a heart-pounding scene that introduces Chastain’s entity alongside a thrilling title card reveal, the film veers that momentum off-road quickly. Drowning in attempts to simultaneously lean into camp, horror and family drama, and pay homage to paranormal investigation films like “Poltergeist,” the lackluster film crumbles swiftly into a mess of half-baked concepts.
Chastain’s commitment to her portrayal of the “other mommy” is the film’s saving grace. Her uncanny performance is occasionally effective enough to fulfill the heightened expectations established by a horror film released in October. However, cumbersome CGI often undercuts the performance, drowning out Chastain’s creepy line delivery with over-the-top glowing red eyes and unconvincing body horror. The film squanders Chastain’s compelling effort for soulless digital effects, resulting in a laughable product.
In addition to the CGI failures, the script doesn’t seem to know what exactly it wants its monster to be. The film shuffles through versions of “other mommy,” first introducing her as a classic demon-like entity, then continuing to add unnecessary layers that inspire head scratches from viewers. Her many forms include a passive entity, a deadite-esque monster viciously attacking the characters on all fours. Sometimes she kills her victims in bloody slasher fashion, while other times she simply makes them melt into glitter. Though each iteration the film throws out could be an intriguing idea, the inconsistency sacrifices the cohesion of its main villain along the way.
A family drama between the three protagonists attempts to serve as the film’s emotional core. However, “Other Mommy” never devotes enough time to developing this conflict to offer any emotional stakes. Rather, the film makes occasional references to a supposed affair between Ursula and another character in the film, but fails to develop their relationship, as well as the impact of the affair on her family dynamic. The conflict is subsequently unmentioned in the latter half of the film, seemingly forgotten by the script. What results is a lukewarm and underdeveloped throughline, whose lack of intrigue robs the film’s surrounding fear and tension.
For horror fans looking to get the most out of this year’s spooky season, “Other Mommy” is unlikely to scratch that itch. Prospective viewers may be better off simply rewatching the trailer to experience the flame that the full film couldn’t quite carry.
1 ½ plastic balls out of 5
