One of this fall’s most anticipated supernatural horror movies has officially received its MPA rating. Universal Pictures’ Other Mommy has been rated R for “some bloody violence, and language,” suggesting that while the film won’t be venturing into extreme gore territory, audiences can still expect a more intense experience than a PG-13 would deliver. Since the rating mentions only “some bloody violence” and language, this is a relatively mild R rating by horror standards.
Other Mommy marks director Rob Savage‘s follow-up to The Boogeyman, continuing the director’s work in the horror genre after previously earning acclaim with Host. The film adapts Josh Malerman’s novel Incidents Around the House, which became one of the author’s most popular books following the massive success of Bird Box.
Jessica Chastain leads a cast that also includes Jay Duplass, Dichen Lachman, Karen Allen, Sean Kaufman, Adam Silver, Carrie Dimaculangan, and newcomer Arabella Olivia Clark, who plays eight-year-old Bela.
The story follows Bela, an eight-year-old girl whose home life is already strained by her parents’ troubled marriage when a sinister presence she calls “Other Mommy” begins emerging from her closet each night. The entity repeatedly asks a single question: “Can I go inside your heart?” As Bela continues refusing, the supernatural visitor grows increasingly aggressive, placing her entire family in danger and forcing the young girl to confront an evil that seems determined to break the bonds holding her family together.
The premise has drawn comparisons to 2013’s Mama, another Jessica Chastain horror film featuring children haunted by a mysterious maternal entity.
Earlier this month, Universal gave horror fans their first look at Other Mommy by attaching the film’s debut trailer to theatrical screenings of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey before releasing it online shortly afterward.
The film had originally been scheduled to open on May 8, 2026, but Universal shifted the release to October 9, 2026, giving it a prime Halloween-season release date.
The film is produced by Atomic Monster and Blumhouse in association with Spin a Black Yarn for Universal Pictures.
James Wan is producing, with Rob Savage and Josh Malerman serving as executive producers alongside Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Macdara Kelleher, and Ryan Lewis. Alayna Glasthal oversees the project for Atomic Monster, while Succession writer Nathan Elston penned the screenplay.
Are you more excited for Other Mommy now that its R rating has been revealed? Let us know in the comments below.