Jessica Chastain’s New Horror Movie Is The Perfect Follow-Up To Mama 13 Years Later

Jessica Chastain's New Horror Movie Is A Perfectly Twisted Follow-Up To Her 13-Year-Old $146 Million Hit Published Oct 7, 2026, 5:21 PM EDT Sky Blanton is a Movie Contributor at ScreenRant with professional experience covering movies, television, and pop culture. Her published work spans news, interviews, features, and opinion pieces, with a focus on film, franchise storytelling, and the entertainment industry. She earned her bachelor's degree in Communications with a concentration in Professional Writing and a minor in Business Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. Jessica Chastain’s Annabel wasn’t exactly eager to become a parent in Mama. She had a band, a life of her own, and no plans to raise her boyfriend’s two young nieces. But as she grew attached to Victoria and Lilly, it became harder to imagine her walking away from them, especially once she discovered what had followed them home. Thirteen years after that film earned more than $148 million worldwide (via The Numbers), Chastain is back in a house with a child and a very unwelcome mother figure. This time, she gets to play both women. Other Mommy, opening October 9, stars Chastain as Ursula, whose daughter Bela encounters a sinister entity that looks just like her mom. Chastain also plays the creature, giving her a chance to deliver the scares she once had to react to. For anyone who remembers Mama, that’s a good reason to take an interest in her latest horror movie. Part of what made Annabel worth rooting for in the 2010s horror movie was watching someone so uncomfortable with children become fiercely protective of them. Other Mommy puts that attachment to Chastain to unsettling use. When Bela sees her mother, she should know she can go to her for help. Here, she has to wonder who she’s actually looking at. Having the actress who once stood between two girls and a monster become the face of both mother and monster makes for a great return to horror. Mama Already Put Jessica Chastain Against A Supernatural Mother Annabel’s biggest problem in Mama is that the girls love the thing she needs to protect them from. Mama kept Victoria and Lilly alive during their five years in an isolated cabin. To them, she’s a caregiver. Annabel is someone they’ve only just met, and having a proper home doesn’t mean they’re ready to give Mama up. One of the film’s creepiest scenes shows Lilly playing tug-of-war with someone we can’t see. Annabel passes with a laundry basket, and Victoria appears elsewhere in the hallway, making it clear that neither is playing with her. Lilly is having fun. We’re left looking at the doorway, waiting for a glimpse of her playmate. It’s easy to understand why Annabel would be frightened, but Lilly has no reason to share that fear. Victoria gradually becomes more attached to Annabel, though she knows Mama gets jealous. Even accepting comfort comes with the worry that Mama will hurt Annabel for it. Chastain makes those moments of affection so important because the girls have so few opportunities to feel safe with another adult. That’s also why the ending hurts so bad. Victoria stays with Annabel, but Lilly goes over the cliff with Mama. Caring for both girls doesn’t mean Annabel can persuade both to stay. For Lilly, the monster is already family, which gives Chastain’s own turn as a threatening mother figure an uncomfortable history to draw on. Other Mommy Finally Lets Chastain Become The Monster In the Other Mommy trailer, Bela’s mom appears to come home to make her lunch. Then the pasta starts burning. When her dad comes into the kitchen, he finds something with his wife’s face crouched under the table, its arms and legs twisted around its body. Chastain is still recognizable down there, which makes it harder to look at. Chastain wanted to see how frightening she could make Other Mommy with her own face. At a Q&A covered by CinemaBlend, she said she asked director Rob Savage to try filming without the prosthetics they had considered. She played the creature as though looking like Ursula was painful, forcing it to hold a friendly smile while struggling to keep that human shape. Playing both parts means Chastain can make Bela hesitate around her own mother. Once she’s seen the creature wearing Ursula’s face, how does she know when it’s really her mom? The trailer leaves us looking for the same clues, wondering whether Chastain’s next smile will give her away. Rob Savage’s adaptation of Josh Malerman’s Incidents Around the House puts Chastain in an uncomfortable position for anyone who remembers rooting for her in Mama. Annabel worked so hard to become someone the girls could turn to. Now Jessica Chastain gets to play a creature that passes itself off as Bela’s mother, knowing the resemblance will help it get close to her. Release Date October 9, 2026 Runtime 93 Minutes Director Rob Savage Cast Arabella Olivia Clark Bela Hayley Spelman Other Mommy Carrie Dimaculangan Callie Writers Josh Malerman, Nathan Elston Producers James Wan