Other Mommy director swings big — wants his horror movie to introduce next generation’s Freddy Krueger

Let's talk about Other Mommy, the new horror film that's spinning up plenty of chatter — and not just because Jessica Chastain is taking the lead as both mum and monstrous doppelgänger. This one comes from director Rob Savage, with a story based on Josh Malerman's 2024 bestseller, Incidents Around the House. The setup? An 8-year-old called Bela faces a shape-shifting creep straight out of her closet — a thing she dubs "Other Mommy" — while her family deals with more than just your standard domestic drama.

The entity in Other Mommy is, according to Savage, meant to be "Something in the tradition of Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers, and there are not many of those in modern horror cinema."

A New Face for Nightmares

Savage isn't shy about wanting Other Mommy to stick in the public imagination, not just as your latest popcorn fright, but as the next proper horror baddie — someone to mention in the same breath as Freddy or Michael, if he gets his way. It's bold talk, and honestly, horror hasn't exactly produced a new household name on that level in quite a while, so fair enough, ambition points awarded.

The director goes into detail about the film's monster — a sinister, shifting presence who shows up as a double for Ursula (played, again, by Chastain). Here, Savage is all about keeping things unnerving and unpredictable: you're never supposed to feel you've seen the full scope of what this entity can do, not to young Bela, not to us in the audience. In his words, each appearance peels back a fresh layer of menace. That shape-shifting aspect, as producer James Wan puts it, let the creators get properly inventive with the horror elements — no playing it safe by numbers here.

Syrupy Sweetness Hiding Something Else

There's another layer at play under the usual scares, at least by the director's account. Savage says you're supposed to pick up on a sweetness to Other Mommy that's just a bit too much — syrupy on the surface, but, as he puts it, something "coiled and furious" seething underneath. As the film goes on, that monstrous side starts leaking out. Not exactly breaking new psychological horror ground, but it does the job if handled right.

Producer James Wan explained that the entity's shapeshifting nature let them "form the character freely with its horror elements."

The plot, officially: Bela lives in a house with parents whose marriage is visibly cracking. Out of her closet steps Other Mommy — first a comfort, then a threat. Before you know it, she's causing serious problems for everyone in the house. And this isn't just the Chastain show; you've also got Arabella Olivia Clark, Jay Duplass, Dichen Lachman, Karen Allen, Arian Moayed, Sean Kaufman, Adam Silver, and Alec Secareanu all turning up in supporting roles.

The release date is firmly set: 9 October, 2026, so plan your Halloween cinema trips accordingly.