Universal Pictures and Blumhouse released the first trailer for Other Mommy on Tuesday, confirming the film’s theatrical release for October 9, 2026, and giving audiences their first real look at Jessica Chastain in a dual role: a mother and the sinister entity impersonating her.
The Premise
The film centers on eight-year-old Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark), whose home life is already strained by her parents’ troubled marriage when a presence she calls “Other Mommy” begins emerging from her closet each night. The entity repeatedly asks Bela if it can “go inside her heart,” and as she keeps refusing, its behavior grows more aggressive, eventually making it difficult for Bela — and the audience — to tell whether she’s talking to her real mother or the thing wearing her face.
According to reactions to the footage, the trailer plays as a slow burn that builds tension through Bela’s point of view before escalating into a run of unsettling, fast-cut imagery, without ever fully revealing what “Other Mommy” actually is.
Cast and Crew
Chastain plays Ursula, Bela’s mother, as well as the “Other Mommy” entity itself. Jay Duplass plays Bela’s father, referred to in the film as “Daddo,” while the supporting cast includes Dichen Lachman, Arian Moayed, and Karen Allen, along with Sean Kaufman and Adam Silver.
Other Mommy is directed by Rob Savage, whose previous horror credits include Host and The Boogeyman, from a screenplay by Succession writer Nathan Elston. The film is based on Josh Malerman’s novel Incidents Around the House — Malerman is also the author of Bird Box. James Wan produces through his Atomic Monster banner alongside Blumhouse Productions and Spin a Black Yarn, with Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Savage, Malerman, and Ryan Lewis serving as executive producers.
How the Project Came Together
Chastain’s involvement was first reported by Deadline back in April 2025, with the rest of the cast filling in over the following months — Arabella Olivia Clark was announced as Bela, followed by additions including Sean Kaufman, Adam Silver, and Karen Allen. The trailer had already been playing exclusively in front of screenings of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, also a Universal release, before going online this week.
Chastain’s Return to Horror
Other Mommy marks a homecoming of sorts for Chastain, who built an early reputation in the genre with films like Mama (2013) and It: Chapter Two (2019) before shifting toward mostly dramatic film and TV work following her Best Actress Oscar win for The Eyes of Tammy Faye in 2022. Early reactions to the trailer, including from fans online, have been largely positive, with several viewers singling out the film’s atmosphere and Chastain’s dual performance as standouts.
