'Other Mommy' trailer with Jessica Chastain shocks 'The Odyssey' audiences

The first trailer for Jessica Chastain's upcoming horror film Other Mommy has sparked widespread discussion after screening in cinemas ahead of The Odyssey, with some moviegoers sharing their reactions on social media.

The preview was shown alongside several other trailers before Christopher Nolan's latest film over the weekend. Some viewers said the footage caught them off guard, while others argued the reaction was exaggerated.

Content creator Skate Carter posted a TikTok video advising fellow cinema-goers to "look away" and "close your eyes" when the trailer appears on screen.

Other social media users suggested cinemas should provide advance warning about the trailer's imagery before showing it.

The trailer opens with Chastain's character talking to a young girl, who appears to be her daughter, while preparing pasta in a kitchen.

"Do you want to know something silly? Sometimes I think about when you and I were one person. Do you remember that?" Chastain's character asks.

When the girl replies, "Since I was a baby in your tummy?", Chastain's character continues, "Do you remember where you were before that?"

After the child answers, "No," Chastain responds, "You were in my heart," before asking, "Can I go into your heart?"

The trailer then shifts from the conversation to increasingly unsettling scenes, including smoke filling the kitchen after food is left burning and the girl's father, played by Jay Duplass, rushing into the room. Followed by a jumpscare involving Chastain's character beneath a table.

Not all viewers shared the same reaction. Horror content creator Grace Mitscherlich noted that cinemas have long screened horror trailers before other R-rated films, including The Odyssey.

Another TikTok creator, Erin Reacts & Reviews, said the trailer's biggest scare came from its unexpected jump scare rather than disturbing imagery.

Directed by Rob Savage and produced by James Wan, Other Mommy is based on Josh Malerman's 2024 bestselling novel Incidents Around the House.

Chastain plays both Bela's mother and the supernatural entity known as "Other Mommy". The film also stars Dichen Lachman, Arian Moayed and Karen Allen, and is scheduled for release on October 9.