FILM REVIEW: OTHER MOMMY (15) ESP RATING: 3/5
There were a few red flags surrounding this horror before it even reached cinemas.
Acclaimed genre aficionados Blumhouse Productions are usually pretty good at building excitement around Halloween – whether through surprise screenings, clever marketing or publicity stunts.
But this time, things felt unusually quiet and I was beginning to wonder whether they had something to hide.
Well, the reviews are finally in – and Other Mommy has found itself as Blumhouse's lowest-rated film of the year.
But does that necessarily mean you'll hate it? Not at all. These things are subjective, after all, and while I can understand the criticism, there’s still some fun to be had here.
Based on Josh Malerman’s novel Incidents Around the House, the film follows eight-year-old Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark), who begins communicating with a sinister entity resembling her mother. The creature has one simple request: it wants permission to enter her heart. And that’s pretty much the plot.
Oscar-nominee Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) plays both Bela’s real mother and the terrifying imposter, with Indiana Jones legend Karen Allen making an appearance as her Grandma.
On paper, there’s a genuinely interesting psychological horror here. Something along the lines of The Babadook, where we’re never entirely sure whether the child is imagining things, or something supernatural is really happening.
Except Other Mommy throws that possibility out of the window almost immediately. Before long, the parents are seeing the entity too, and everyone’s fully aware that something sinister is going on. And that's where things start getting a little ‘bonkers’.
The craziest thing about this film is that there’s so much happening, yet so little of it feels connected.
The entity takes numerous forms, resulting in all sorts of bizarre encounters. Some are genuinely creepy, others are unintentionally hilarious – and a few left me wondering what on earth I’d just watched.
It’s a shame, because there's clearly some imagination behind the madness. It just needed someone to pull everything together.
One person who certainly can’t be blamed is Chastain. She’s fantastic. Playing both the real mother and the entity gives her plenty of opportunities to show off her range, and she throws herself into the madness with admirable commitment.
Unfortunately, even a performance this committed can’t compensate for a script that struggles to hold everything together.
But here's the thing – I wasn’t bored.
Other Mommy moves along at a decent pace, and there’s rarely much time to dwell on one ridiculous moment before another comes along – and there’s a few decent ‘jump scares’ scattered throughout.
Ultimately, I think that’s what your enjoyment will come down to.
If you’re after a clever psychological horror with believable characters and a story that makes sense – you’re probably going to leave disappointed.
But if you’re looking for a fast-paced Halloween horror with creepy imagery, a few good edge-of-your-seat moments, and plenty of chaos – you’ll find Chastain a yummy Mommy.
ESP Rating: 3/5
Mike Clarke
Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough & Odeon Luxe Peterborough, Out Now
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Arabella Olivia Clark, Jay Duplass, Dichen Lachman, Arian Moayed, Sean Kaufman & Karen Allen
Running Time: 1 Hr 33 Mins
Director: Rob Savage
Film Review Venue: Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough
For all the latest film information & showtimes at Peterborough’s Showcase Cinema De Lux & Odeon Luxe Cinemas go to www.showcasecinemas.co.uk and www.odeon.co.uk
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