By Ben Wright (@Iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review is spoiler-free.
Other Mommy follows a young girl named Bela who begins encountering a sinister presence in her home, one that looks just like her own mother. As the situation becomes increasingly disturbing, her family finds itself dealing with something far stranger than your usual haunting.
2026 has been a fantastic year for horror, with the genre pulling in huge audiences at the box office and earning plenty of critical acclaim along the way. As we head into the spooky season, Other Mommy has arrived in cinemas, but the early reviews haven’t been great. It hasn’t exactly set the critics alight, and while I know Rotten Tomatoes carries a lot of weight for some people, I’ve never really understood why we put so much stock in a website’s overall score when deciding whether a film is worth watching. That’s a slight tangent, but it’s worth mentioning because, judging by those early reviews, you’d think this was one to avoid. I certainly don’t think that’s the case, because I came away from this James Wan-produced horror film having enjoyed it quite a bit.
When I first saw the trailer, I thought I had this one figured out. Demonic entity, spooky house, tormented family, we’ve seen it all before. And to an extent, that’s exactly what we get, but the magical and fantastical elements were something I hadn’t anticipated at all. These moments caught me completely off guard, and I loved seeing the film take things in that direction. It’s a lot more imaginative than I expected, and despite the marketing leaning heavily into the jump scares, there’s more going on here than simply trying to make the audience leap out of their seats. There are some properly creepy moments, but I found myself enjoying the stranger ideas just as much, if not more. It’s also surprisingly funny in places, with some moments of humour that feel natural rather than shoehorned in.
Arabella Olivia Clark is a real standout as Bela, and Jessica Chastain is excellent too. I was particularly pleased with how the family was written, because horror films have a habit of falling back on the same old story where the mother knows something is wrong, nobody believes her and we’re left watching her struggle to convince everyone until the truth finally comes out. Thankfully, that’s not what happens here. Bela’s father is on board from the beginning, and I really liked that. It makes the family feel more believable and gives their relationships room to develop without getting bogged down in a trope we’ve seen countless times before.
The visuals are another highlight. There’s some really interesting camera work, and the film’s more fantastical ideas give it a look and feel that I found genuinely appealing. I can see this being a sticking point for some viewers, particularly if they’re coming in expecting a more straightforward supernatural horror film, but I was completely on board with what it was doing. The editing works well with the imagery, and the score helps build the atmosphere without constantly hammering home when we’re supposed to be scared. It all comes together nicely, even if I suspect the film’s more unusual approach won’t be to everyone’s taste.
I wouldn’t put Other Mommy among the very best horror films of 2026, but I certainly wouldn’t put it among the worst either. The reviews might suggest otherwise, yet there’s plenty here that I enjoyed, from the unexpected fantastical elements to the performances and the refreshing approach to its family dynamic. It doesn’t need to be the best horror film of the year to be worth your time, and I’m glad I gave it a chance rather than letting the early reception put me off.
Other Mommy offers more than its jump-scare marketing suggests, with imaginative fantastical horror, a refreshing family dynamic and strong performances. It won’t work for everyone, but I had a good time with it, and there’s more here to appreciate than the early reviews might have you believe.
