Other Mommy

What’s it about?

Amid her parents’ strained relationship, a young girl befriends a sinister entity whom she calls “Other Mommy”. Initially comforting, the entity becomes increasingly monstrous and violent.

The facts

• Directed by Rob Savage (The Boogeyman)
• Starring Jessica Chastain (The Forgiven), Jay Duplass (Sterling Point) and Arabella Olivia Clark (The Housemaid)
• English language
• Runtime: 93 minutes

Why did it get this rating?

This film was classified by Te Mana Whakaatu, Classification Office. You can find out more about classification process and ratings here.

The following information breaks down the film's rating and content warnings. It does not mention any character names or delve into plot points. If necessary, we occasionally include minor spoilers to help keep audiences informed about what they are watching.

Horror

Most of the horror centres around the entity, “Other Mommy”. Other Mommy relentlessly pursues the main characters and can act extremely violent. There are several jump scares, and the use of music and other audio increase tension and fear.

The entity takes on many forms, which have varying degrees of scariness. She sometimes looks normal but unsettling, with a wide smile, drooping skin, unnaturally contorted limbs, and an echoey voice. In her monstrous form, she has bloody teeth, grey grotesque skin, and her bones crack as she moves. She speaks with a demonic-sounding voice. She can also appear very tall and skinny with glowing red eyes.

Some of the most impactful horror includes:

• A character touches Other Mommy - their fingers push through her skin and emerge covered in goo.
• A character’s entire body becomes floppy as if they have lost their bones.
• Other Mommy appears under a character sitting on the toilet. She caresses the character and unnaturally extends her neck.
• A character is shown starting blankly. When another character looks closer, they see their body is split in two parts down the middle, with flesh exposed in the gap between the two halves.

Graphic violence and gore

All of the violence is supernatural in nature. Fight scenes feature lots of blood and fleshy wounds. Characters are shown in significant pain as a result.

Some of the most impactful violence includes:

• Other Mommy pushes her fingers through a character’s chin, and they come out his mouth. Blood spurts out his mouth, and he is thrown down a hallway leaving a wide trail of blood.
• A fight between Other Mommy and another character occurs off screen. The character appears covered in blood and in significant pain – their jaw is burst open, exposing flesh and teeth before their head explodes.
• A character is thrown against the ceiling and a knife launched at them stabs their arm.
• A character rips the skin off Other Mommy’s back, revealing her flesh.

Offensive language

The strongest language is “f**k” and “bullsh*t” which are used as an exclamation.

When content stays with you:

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline
• Youthline

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?