Entering the Closet: Inside Other Mommy (2026)
What if the person waiting on the other side of your bedroom door looked exactly like your mother? That unsettling idea sits at the center of Other Mommy, a 2026 psychological and supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage and starring Jessica Chastain.
Based on Josh Malerman's New York Times bestselling novel Incidents Around the House, the movie turns an ordinary family home into a place of escalating paranoia. Universal Pictures is releasing the film in theaters on October 9, 2026, with several international markets beginning their theatrical rollout on October 8.
Other Mommy follows eight-year-old Bela as a sinister entity emerges from her closet and begins taking the appearance of her mother. Jessica Chastain plays both Bela's mother and the entity known as Other Mommy, while Jay Duplass plays Bela's father.
What Is Other Mommy About?
At the center of the film is Bela, an eight-year-old girl growing up in a home affected by serious marital problems. Her already unstable family environment becomes even more frightening when a sinister presence begins emerging from her closet.
Bela calls the entity Other Mommy. What initially appears to be a disturbing supernatural encounter gradually becomes a much more dangerous threat to Bela and the people around her.
The horror comes from the entity's familiarity. Rather than appearing as a completely alien monster, Other Mommy resembles Bela's own mother, creating a disturbing question about whether someone familiar can still be trusted.
The Story: A Monster That Looks Like Mom
Other Mommy builds its central horror around the collision of family tension and supernatural fear. Bela is caught between the problems inside her household and a presence that seems to understand exactly how to exploit her fears.
The entity's connection to Bela's mother gives the film its psychological edge. The closer Other Mommy gets to the family, the harder it becomes to separate genuine parental comfort from something deliberately imitating it.
Rather than relying solely on conventional monster imagery, the story uses the home itself as the source of unease. A bedroom closet, normally an everyday part of childhood, becomes the doorway to something that threatens to invade the family's most private space.
Jessica Chastain's Dual Role
Jessica Chastain leads the movie in a demanding dual performance. She plays Bela's mother, Ursula, while also portraying the supernatural manifestation known as Other Mommy.
That casting choice is central to the film's concept. The horror depends on Other Mommy being recognizable enough to resemble Bela's mother while remaining deeply unsettling.
Universal describes Chastain's character as both Bela's mother and the manifestation of the entity, while Jay Duplass plays Daddo and Arabella Olivia Clark plays Bela.
Other Mommy Cast
Ursula / Other Mommy
Bela
Daddo / Russ
Supporting role
Supporting role
Grandma Ruth
Supporting role
Tony
The supporting ensemble also includes Adam Silver, Carrie Dimaculangan, Alejandro Nieves and other performers. Universal's official announcement identifies Dichen Lachman, Arian Moayed and Karen Allen among the supporting cast.
Who Directed Other Mommy?
Rob Savage directs Other Mommy from a screenplay by Nathan Elston, based on Josh Malerman's novel Incidents Around the House.
Savage is known for genre-focused films including Host and The Boogeyman. The project also brings together major horror producers, with James Wan producing through Atomic Monster alongside Blumhouse.
Universal confirms that Elston wrote the screenplay and that James Wan produced the film, with Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Rob Savage, Josh Malerman and Ryan Lewis among the executive producers.
From Incidents Around the House to the Big Screen
The movie adapts Josh Malerman's Incidents Around the House, bringing the novel's disturbing family-centered supernatural concept into a theatrical horror setting.
Malerman is also the author of Bird Box, the bestselling horror novel that previously became a major Netflix film. Other Mommy takes a different route, focusing its horror on a child, her family, and an entity that appears to understand the emotional dynamics inside their home.
Release Date: When Is Other Mommy in Theaters?
Other Mommy opens in U.S. theaters on Friday, October 9, 2026. Universal Pictures is handling the theatrical release, with international markets beginning around the same period.
Several international territories have release dates beginning October 8, including Australia, Argentina, Colombia, Hong Kong and Italy. The exact rollout can vary by market and theater.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Movie | Other Mommy |
| U.S. Release | October 9, 2026 |
| International Rollout | Beginning October 8 in select markets |
| Director | Rob Savage |
| Screenplay | Nathan Elston |
| Based On | Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman |
| Distributor | Universal Pictures |
| Rating | R |
| Runtime | 1 hour 33 minutes |
Other Mommy Trailer
The official trailer introduces Bela's terrifying encounter with the entity and establishes the film's central question: what happens when something that looks exactly like your mother is not actually your mother?
The trailer also puts Jessica Chastain's dual role front and center, showing the contrast between the familiar presence of Bela's mother and the increasingly threatening Other Mommy.
The official trailer was released ahead of the October theatrical launch, with the movie's marketing emphasizing the psychological tension inside Bela's home as much as the supernatural threat itself.
Why the Movie's Horror Feels So Personal
The central fear of Other Mommy is not simply that a monster exists. It is that the monster can imitate someone a child is supposed to trust completely.
That idea allows the film to play with childhood fears of closets, darkness and imaginary companions while adding adult themes involving family conflict, trust and emotional vulnerability.
The result is a horror setup where the safest-looking person in the room may be the one audiences are meant to question most.
Is Other Mommy Based on a True Story?
No. Other Mommy is a fictional supernatural horror movie based on Josh Malerman's novel Incidents Around the House. Its story about Bela and the entity known as Other Mommy is not presented as a dramatization of a real-life case.
Where to Watch Other Mommy
Other Mommy is being released as a theatrical movie by Universal Pictures. The film is scheduled to open in cinemas on October 9, 2026 in the United States.
A digital rental, purchase or streaming date had not been officially announced at the time of this article's update. For now, audiences looking to see the film should check their local cinema listings and official ticketing platforms.
Other Mommy is rated R and runs approximately 93 minutes. Its horror centers on an eight-year-old girl, a troubled family environment and a supernatural entity that takes the appearance of her mother. Jessica Chastain's dual role is at the heart of the film's premise.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Other Mommy come out?
Other Mommy opens in U.S. theaters on October 9, 2026. Some international markets begin showing the movie on October 8.
Who plays Other Mommy?
Jessica Chastain plays both Bela's mother, Ursula, and the supernatural entity known as Other Mommy.
Who plays Bela?
Arabella Olivia Clark plays eight-year-old Bela, the young girl at the center of the story.
Is Other Mommy based on a book?
Yes. The film is based on Josh Malerman's New York Times bestselling novel Incidents Around the House.
How long is Other Mommy?
The film has a reported runtime of approximately 1 hour and 33 minutes.
Is Other Mommy streaming?
No streaming release date has been announced yet. The movie's initial release is theatrical.