Intensity 🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸
Directed by Rob Savage
Other Mommy weirdly and jarringly dumps the audience into the third act of the film at the very start of the film. There’s no languid pacing. No exposition. No breathing room. It’s just an oddball other mommy hellbent on terrorizing a young family. Mind you there’s no first or second acts. The entire film unfolds as an overly long third act.
Director Rob Savage has been one of the most consistent and interesting horror directors over the last decade. All of his films are legitimate classics. The claustrophobic Host. The frenetic Dashcam. The creepy Boogeyman. All have been truly original and compelling horror tales. That is until now.
Other Mommy is a film that’s positively littered with strange choices, incomplete plot lines, poor decision making, and stilted dialogue. And it’s largely a film that rests on the shoulders of a young actress that inexplicably chooses a baby-talk affect that’s impossible not to hear.
The film follows a young family that has a secret — or multiple secrets — that they’re all keeping from one another. Mom (Jessica Chastain) is cheating on Dad or Daddo (Jay Duplass). Dad is harboring resentment towards Mom. And their daughter (Arabella Olivia Clark) has befriended another Mom…OTHER MOMMY.
In the opening scene we’re introduced to the stylized and gesticulating Other Mommy. Dad is freaked out and daughter is reluctant to disclose her relationship with Other Mommy. What’s their response? A rather tepid and staid…hmmm…that’s weird that’s there’s an entity from another dimension in our house. Should we like contact a psychic or something, or just hold a 7th anniversary party? For the record, 7th anniversary parties aren’t a thing.
Mom, Dad, and daughter are sort of alarmed, but in the most mundane way possible. There are few highs, little panic, and just a general resolve that they’re going to have to crack this Other Mommy code. Their answer? Elite paranormal investigative squad!
Really. That’s the answer. The brood heads to Grandma Ruth’s house (Karen Allen) to see if she can help. Why her? Once upon a time she hired a psychic to help her connect with her dead husband, so it would make total sense that she now has access to elite paranormal investigative squad. Other Mommy quickly lays waste to the inept paranormal investigative squad and Mom, Dad, and daughter decide to head home to wage one final fight against their nemesis.
Do Mom and Dad get their daughter back? Is Other Mommy banished to the netherworld? Normally, we’d say go movies, nab a ticket and a bucket of popcorn and see for yourself. In this case the answer is a resounding “who cares?”
Should you see Other Mommy?
The only reason to see Other Mommy is if you’re a Rob Savage completist. He’s turned out three really spectacular films in recent years, but his latest is undisciplined mess.
On the Scariest Things Podcast, we’re big on logic. Logical choices from our protagonists. Logical dialogue. Other Mommy has none of these things. Every step along the way is a clumsy one that makes little to no sense. And every bit of dialogue is a tortured and unbelievable conversation that does nothing to advance the film’s narrative.
Most importantly, this is a non-scary horror film. Sure, there’s a couple jump scares — and one that got me good — but Other Mommy just isn’t scary.
We’re sticking by Rob Savage though. He’s a great director with a great track record. We’re just going to consider this a minor and unfortunate blip on his well regarded horror resume.
Other Mommy is Rated R and in theaters everywhere.