Horror fans have plenty to look forward to this Halloween season, but few upcoming releases have generated as much early buzz as Other Mommy. Directed by Rob Savage, whose previous credits include Host and The Boogeyman, the supernatural psychological horror film promises a chilling blend of family drama and relentless terror. Based on Josh Malerman’s 2024 New York Times bestselling novel Incidents Around the House, the film brings together an acclaimed creative team led by producer James Wan through Atomic Monster/Blumhouse, with Universal Pictures handling distribution.
The recently released official trailer has only intensified anticipation, introducing viewers to a nightmare that begins inside an ordinary family home before spiraling into something far more sinister.
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Other Mommy release date, cast, plot and why the first trailer is terrifying horror fans
At the heart of Other Mommy is Bela, an eight-year-old girl played by Arabella Olivia Clark, whose home life is already strained by her parents’ troubled marriage. But the family’s emotional struggles soon become the least of their worries when a mysterious entity begins appearing from Bela’s closet.
The child calls the disturbing figure “Other Mommy.” The entity repeatedly asks one unsettling question:
“Can I go inside your heart?”
What begins as an eerie presence gradually evolves into an increasingly aggressive supernatural threat determined to take up residence inside Bela while endangering everyone around her.
The story combines domestic tension with psychological horror as the entity imitates family members—particularly Bela’s mother—and exploits hidden family secrets, guilt, broken trust, and emotional vulnerabilities. Like Malerman’s original novel, the story explores childhood innocence, parental failure, family bonds, and the fear of an unknown force invading the safety of home.
One of the film’s biggest talking points is Jessica Chastain’s dual performance. She portrays both Bela’s real mother, Ursula, and the terrifying manifestation known as Other Mommy, marking her return to the horror genre following Mama (2013) and It Chapter Two (2019).
The supporting cast includes Jay Duplass as Bela’s father, Russ (“Daddo”), Dichen Lachman, Karen Allen as Grandma Ruth, along with Sean Kaufman, Adam Silver, Arian Moayed, and others.
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Official film details
| Category | Details |
| Film | Other Mommy |
| Based on | Incidents Around the House (2024 novel) by Josh Malerman |
| Director | Rob Savage |
| Writer | Nathan Elston |
| Producers | James Wan, Atomic Monster/Blumhouse in association with Spin a Black Yarn |
| Distributor | Universal Pictures |
| Release Date | October 9, 2026 (US theatrical wide release) |
| Original Release Date | May 8, 2026 (later moved to Halloween season) |
| Filming Began | May 12, 2025 |
| Filming Location | Dublin, Ireland |
| Cinematography | Lowell A. Meyer |
| Editing | John Cutler |
| Tagline | “Your mommy won’t save you.” |
The first official trailer, released on July 21, 2026, runs approximately 2 minutes and 14 seconds and has already attracted millions of views while drawing praise for its slow-building suspense and effective jump scares.
The preview begins innocently enough as Ursula returns home for lunch with Bela. A simple conversation about hidden ice cream and suggestions of pasta or scrambled eggs slowly turns unsettling when Ursula reminisces about the time Bela “was in my heart” before asking the now-infamous question, “Can I go into your heart?”
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Moments later, the atmosphere shifts dramatically. Smoke fills the kitchen from a burning pot, fear replaces warmth, and one of the trailer’s most talked-about scenes reveals a grotesque version of Other Mommy hiding beneath the kitchen island before lunging forward in a disturbing crawl. Reports suggest the sequence prompted loud audience reactions when shown ahead of The Odyssey in cinemas.
As Bela’s father returns home, the trailer escalates into chaos with terrifying manifestations, frantic screams, questions of identity—including “Is it really you?”—and mounting danger for the entire family.
Although Other Mommy has yet to receive critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its release, anticipation remains high thanks to Rob Savage’s direction, James Wan’s horror pedigree, Josh Malerman’s bestselling source material, and Jessica Chastain’s demanding dual role. Positioned as a supernatural horror story rooted in family trauma, imposters within the home, and the loss of childhood innocence, Other Mommy arrives in theatres on October 9, 2026, aiming to become one of this Halloween season’s most talked-about horror releases.
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