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Horror Film 'Other Mommy' Grew From a Four-Sentence Family Anecdote, Author Says

Author Josh Malerman says his novel, now adapted by Blumhouse with Jessica Chastain, began with a story his brother told him about his young niece.

By idly desk · from 1 report · · 2 min read
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The gist

Story
  • Josh Malerman's novel 'Incidents Around the House' inspired the film 'Other Mommy'.
  • The idea came from a brief story his brother told him about his daughter Elliott.
  • Jessica Chastain plays Ursula, and Rob Savage directs, per the Rolling Stone India report.

In this story

  • Movie

    Other Mommy

    Mentioned in this story

What's new

Author Josh Malerman has described how the horror film 'Other Mommy' took shape from a very short anecdote. According to Rolling Stone India, his brother told him that his young daughter, Elliott, had said good night to an imaginary figure she called "Other Mommy" after already saying good night to her mother. Malerman turned that brief story into his 2024 novel 'Incidents Around the House', which is told from the child's point of view. The book was optioned quickly by James Wan and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, and filming began in Ireland in 2025. Director Rob Savage, known for the pandemic-era film 'Host', signed on, and Jessica Chastain stars as Ursula and Other Mommy.

Why it matters

The report shows how a small piece of everyday family life can grow into a studio horror project. It also highlights how the novel's path from page to screen moved quickly, with the film starting production before the paperback edition was released. For readers and viewers, it offers a look at how an author's personal source material can become the basis for a major release.

What others say

Rolling Stone India presents Malerman's account of the story's origins in his own words. The report quotes him describing his reaction to the anecdote and his pleasure with the casting and direction, but it does not include comments from the filmmakers or studio on those points.

What we don't know yet

The source does not give a release date for 'Other Mommy' or details on the film's box office performance. It also does not say how much of the novel's structure the screenplay keeps.

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