Jessica Chastain continues to freak us out in new Other Mommy trailer
Universal Pictures has dropped the second trailer for Other Mommy, the horror film starring Jessica Chastain as both a good mother and a terrifying one. The clip runs about thirty seconds shorter than the first teaser, but it still packs plenty of jolts. The marketing leans into the surreal back-and-forth between Chastain’s two versions of Ursula, shifting from a pretty, nice mommy to a spiritually empty and presumably hostile one.
The film is a Blumhouse-Atomic Monster co-production. Its marketing wants to replicate the box office success of Obsession and Backrooms. That ambition is explicit in how the campaign frames the film: the goal is to match the reach of those earlier releases.
Chastain Plays Both Mothers
Chastain stars as Ursula and her sinister doppelgänger. She plays two sides of the same woman, one kind and one awful. The trailer shows the contrast, letting Chastain do the work with her face and posture.
Arabella Olivia Clark plays Bella, the little girl haunted by this not-so-imaginary other mommy. Jay Duplass plays Ursula’s husband, Russ, who clearly got the short shrift in the fairy-tale names department.
The Trailer’s Gimmick
The new footage leans hard into the film’s central gimmick. It shows Chastain switching between the two versions of Ursula. The marketing wants audiences to see that the movie is built around this one actress playing two mothers, one good and one terrible.
That single performance is the whole pitch. The trailer is built to show audiences exactly what they are getting — one actor splitting the difference between a loving parent and something far more menacing.
The clip is short, but it lands. It is the kind of trailer that tells you everything you need to know about the film’s tone before the credits roll.
The Blumhouse Connection
Blumhouse and Atomic Monster are the production companies behind the film. Together, they have produced some of the most successful horror films of recent years. The marketing leans on the success of Obsession and Backrooms to sell the pedigree.
Those two films set the bar for what this team wants to achieve. Whether the film meets it remains to be seen.
Release Date
Other Mommy drops on October 9.
The Names
The cast is small but well-chosen. Chastain anchors it, and Duplass plays her husband. Clark plays the child caught in the middle. The names are the only real joke here: Ursula, Bella, Russ. They are the kind of fairy-tale names that make you raise an eyebrow.
Our Take
The trailer works because it commits fully to the absurdity of the premise. Chastain plays both mothers, and the film leans into that idea without apology. It is the kind of marketing strategy that either wins or loses completely.
The trailer is short but effective. It sells the premise without overexplaining it. It is the kind of preview that makes you want to see the full movie.
Key Facts Box
- Release date: October 9
- Starring: Jessica Chastain as Ursula
- Also starring: Arabella Olivia Clark as Bella, Jay Duplass as Russ
- Production: Blumhouse-Atomic Monster co-production
- Previous films: Obsession and Backrooms
- Trailer length: Thirty seconds shorter than the first
The film has a solid cast and a clear hook. The marketing is doing its job. Now the movie just has to deliver on the promise of that hook.
See the video the story is built around at The A.V. Club.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.