Other Mommy (2026) Review: A Brilliant Opening Scene Cannot Save a Hollow Horror
A brilliant trailer scene promises far more than this hollow horror delivers.
UK Platform/Release: Cinemas (Universal Pictures UK), 9 October 2026 | BBFC Rating: 15 | Runtime/Episodes: 93 minutes
Scorecard & Industry Consensus
OUR RATING: ★ ★ ½ ☆ ☆ (5 / 10)
Verdict: Wait for streaming
| Category | Score | Key Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Story & Narrative Realism | 2.0/5.0 | A strong concept is squandered by weak storytelling that never engages and quickly feels familiar. |
| Performances & Chemistry | 2.5/5.0 | Underdeveloped characters leave no emotional connection, so it hardly matters who survives. |
| Production & Set Pieces | 3.5/5.0 | One inventive, genuinely unsettling opening sequence outshines everything else on screen. |
| Pacing & Tension | 2.0/5.0 | Tension and thrill disappear once the standout scene ends, and fear never materialises. |
| Sound Design & Score | 2.5/5.0 | Heavy reliance on jump scares that, repeatedly, fail to land. |
Industry Consensus (Reference Only):
- Rotten Tomatoes: 19% (Critics)
- IMDb: 5.4 / 10
- Metacritic: 39 / 100
Quick Audience Guide
| Watch It If | Skip It If |
|---|---|
| You are curious about the premise and can wait for it to reach streaming, with expectations firmly lowered. | You want sustained tension, effective scares or characters worth caring about, or you plan to buy a cinema ticket. |
The Standout Moment: The opening sequence already seen in the trailer is genuinely horrifying, unexpected and inventive, and it is the only point where the film’s central concept fully lands.
High-Impact Pros & Cons
Pros
- Unforgettable Opener: The opening scene showcased in the trailer is horrifying, unexpected and inventive, and easily the film’s most creative moment.
- Compelling Premise: A girl befriending an entity that wears her mother’s face is a strong, unsettling concept with real potential.
- Instant Intrigue: The central mystery of who the entity is and what it wants hooks the viewer early on.
- Brisk Runtime: At 93 minutes, the film does not overstay its welcome, even when its ideas run thin.
Cons
- Wasted Potential: A genuinely strong concept is squandered by writing that fails to develop it into anything engaging or fresh.
- Hollow Scares: Repeated jump scares are ineffective, and the horror never generates genuine tension, thrill or fear after the opening.
Deep Editorial Critique
Direction & Tactical Realism
Other Mommy begins with an arresting hook: a young girl, living with her mother and father, welcomes an entity that looks exactly like her mum and begins to win her over. The questions this raises are the right ones. Why has it come, and what does it want from the child and the household? The film simply does not do enough with them.
The trailer’s opening scene is the problem as much as the promise. It is the same footage that terrified audiences ahead of The Odyssey screenings, and it set expectations that the remaining runtime never approaches. Anyone who has seen that clip has, in effect, seen the film’s best work. Everything that follows feels familiar, as though the production spent its imagination in one place and coasted thereafter.
The storytelling is the central weakness. The narrative never draws the viewer in, and the sense of a good idea mishandled colours every scene. It is not a matter of horror set pieces alone: the drama, the dread and the plotting all fall short. That is a disappointment given the pedigree on the producing side, with James Wan, who is also returning to the Saw franchise, among those behind the film.
Production Scale & Visual Impact
The film’s technical ambition is concentrated in a single sequence, and it is a memorable one. Beyond it, the film leans heavily on jump scares, and they are largely ineffective. Without a sustained atmosphere or a build-up of tension, a sudden loud moment is simply noise rather than fear.
The result is a horror film that rarely frightens. Neither tension nor thrill takes hold once the opening is behind us, and the sound design cannot compensate for a lack of dread.
Performances & Tension
The most damaging failure is emotional. The characters are underdeveloped, and the film never gives us a reason to invest in them. When a character is threatened or killed, there is no sense of loss, because we have not been given anyone to care about. For a horror built around a family under threat, that is a serious problem.
With no emotional anchor and no escalating tension, the pacing stalls. The final impression is of a film that has one great scene, a promising idea and little else.
Verdict: At 5/10, this is not worth a cinema ticket. If curiosity gets the better of you, wait for it to arrive on streaming and keep expectations modest. If you have seen the trailer, you have already seen the best of it. Looking for something else to scare you this season? Our reviews of Backrooms and The Heretiks cover two other recent horror releases.
Rachel Rosie is a Writer & Editor at BriefLedger, based in London, UK. She holds a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Publishing from the University of the Arts London (UAL). Rachel writes about entertainment, culture, television, movies and trending stories, with a focus on clear, engaging and well-researched content.
