Other Mommy Premieres October 9 With Around 50 Jump Scares
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Oct 9
Other Mommy Premieres October 9 With Around 50 Jump Scares
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Oct 9
Summary
Universal’s supernatural horror film “Other Mommy” opens Friday, bringing Josh Malerman’s 2024 novel “Incidents Around the House” to theaters with Jessica Chastain playing both a mother and her sinister double.
Director Rob Savage told Empire the film contains about 50 jump scares, a technique psychologists say triggers largely innate startle responses that viewers struggle to suppress even when they expect them.
Psychologist Pamela Rutledge said horror works because audiences endure adrenaline and anxiety for the payoff of safety and resolution, while unresolved threats can linger after the credits.
A 2021 CBS News poll found 71% of Americans under 35 enjoy scary movies versus 23% of those 65 and older, and 47% prefer watching with company rather than alone.
“Other Mommy” may hit especially hard because it turns a mother into a doppelganger threat inside the family home, twisting two symbols of safety at once.