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Jessica Chastain (49) Dazzles at the ‘Other Mommy’ Fan Screening as the Horror Film Finally Lands

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Few spooky-season releases have managed to get under audiences’ skin as quickly as ‘Other Mommy‘. The Universal horror film, led by Jessica Chastain, has spent weeks building a reputation for jump scares and nightmare fuel. Now the wait is nearly over.

The marketing push began in mid-September, when Universal released a promo on Sept. 14, followed by a full trailer on Sept. 15. The two used different footage, with the promo leaning on a chilling bathtub scene featuring Chastain. According to Dread Central, director Rob Savage has reportedly said the movie contains about 50 jump scares.

That momentum carried into a very specific kind of fan event. Chastain turned up at a fan screening of ‘Other Mommy’ in a vivid chartreuse satin mini dress with a draped, ruched hem, paired with metallic strappy heels and a short, wavy blonde bob. Photos from the evening show her waving to the cameras in front of a bold red backdrop covered in the film’s branding, looking as far from a haunted household as possible.

The event is tied to BlumFest, a celebration built around the film, and Cinemark’s listing says the screening includes bonus content shown before the movie. For a horror release, that kind of early fan engagement is a smart play. Genre audiences tend to turn out in groups, and an event that rewards the loudest fans can turn word of mouth into box office.

It also fits the way the film has been sold from the start. The trailer played in front of ‘The Odyssey’, and reports of audience reactions quickly followed. Some moviegoers on TikTok told viewers to look away, while others argued theaters should warn audiences before showing it.

Reaction to the trailer was not unanimous. Some reviewers said the jump scares landed but the rest felt like standard horror, while commenters on the first trailer called it compelling and hoped the film could become a surprise hit. That tension between hype and skepticism is exactly what a fan screening is built to resolve.

The film follows Bela, an 8-year-old girl whose parents are dealing with marital problems. A sinister presence begins emerging from her closet, and Bela calls it ‘Other Mommy’ because it looks just like her mother. As the entity grows more threatening, the whole family is pulled into the danger.

Chastain plays both Bela’s human mother, Ursula, and the entity itself, which gives the role a deliciously unsettling double edge. In the trailer, the entity is something Bela can see while others cannot, forcing Ursula to protect her daughter from a threat she cannot always perceive. Jay Duplass plays Bela’s father, Russ, and Arabella Olivia Clark stars as Bela.

The supporting cast includes Dichen Lachman, Arian Moayed and Karen Allen. The film is rated R and runs 1 hour 43 minutes.

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Rob Savage directs from a screenplay by Nathan Elston, who also wrote for ‘Succession’. The story is adapted from Josh Malerman’s 2024 novel ‘Incidents Around the House’. James Wan, known for ‘The Conjuring’ and ‘Insidious’, produces through his Atomic Monster banner alongside Blumhouse.

Production began in May 2025 in Dublin, Ireland. The film was originally scheduled for May before Universal moved it to Oct. 9, a shift that placed it squarely in the heart of horror season. It also marks one of the first projects from Atomic Monster since the company merged with Blumhouse in early 2024.

Casting an Oscar winner in a dual role gives ‘Other Mommy’ a prestige edge that many horror releases lack. Chastain’s glamorous fan screening appearance only underlines how seriously she and the studio are taking this one. Watching her go from a red-carpet glow to a demonic presence on screen is part of the appeal.

With the film now opening in theaters on Oct. 9, the only question left is whether it can turn all that trailer chatter into genuine scares. Fans who caught the early event are already part of the conversation, and the first full audience reactions will arrive soon.

Are you planning to watch Jessica Chastain in ‘Other Mommy’?

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