Oscar Winner’s Horror Tour de Force Is Absolutely Insane

Universal Pictures Maternal madness is nothing new for the horror genre or for Jessica Chastain, who headlined 2013’s Mama and now takes center stage in Other Mommy , a thriller that borrows liberally (to put it kindly) from Henry Selick’s stop-motion classic Coraline and its portrait of an alternate-dimension mother who wants nothing more than to lovingly possess her daughter.

With wide, unblinking eyes and a rictus grin that would be right at home in the Smile franchise, the Oscar-winning actress proves a demented figure of parental adoration run amok, and though Rob Savage’s film cares little for reason, its unbridled rollercoaster momentum and hallucinatory haunted-house energy make it a thriller fit for a Friday night out at the multiplex with friends.

Written by Nathan Elston (based on Josh Malerman’s novel Incidents Around the House ), Other Mommy has zero interest in the connective tissue tethering together its narrative.

Instead, he and Savage chase theme-park ups and downs, with temporary lulls designed only to build anticipation for the next frenzied crescendo.

The director’s follow-up to The Boogeyman puts the pedal to the metal from the start, such that as soon as young Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark) is tucked into bed by her parents Russell (Jay Duplass) and Ursula (Chastain)—the latter cutting off her husband and daughter’s boisterous horsing around, thereby establishing herself as the clan’s killjoy—she’s whispering in the dark to her “Other Mommy.” To conjure this spirit, Bela repeatedly opens and closes her closet door, although our initial sight of Other Mommy (also played by Chastain) is in the kitchen, where her pointy high heels hover above the ground as she informs the girl that thinking about the time when they were one (i.e., when Bela was in the womb) brings a tear to her eye—which it literally does.

Other Mommy wants Bela to let her into her heart, and the sense that this is more than a turn of phrase is enough to unnerve the adolescent.

Even more terrified, however, is Russell once he comes face to face with the supernatural spirit, making it clear that Other Mommy won’t waste time letting its adult characters doubt their child’s claims until the unholy finale.

With long bangs and in a collection of dark, slim-fitting dresses, Chastain strikes a scarily sharp, angular pose in Other Mommy , whether she’s Ursula or her demonic doppelganger.

The actress’ performance as the latter is deliciously devious, all affectionate coos and beguiling reassurances.

Savage’s CGI can be hit or miss—which is why Other Mommy’s inhuman forms are often drenched in gloom—but his pacing is fleet.