If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, that’s okay. I’m going to give you a breakdown of the plot here and tell you what worked and what didn’t, so you can decide if you want to read it or watch it.

We’ll start with the book since this is the source material for Other Mommy. The book is written in a very unique format. You won’t find proper formatting because it’s supposed to be written as though it’s from the perspective of a child. You’re getting a glimpse into her innermost thoughts and feelings and seeing the world through her eyes.

I was skeptical at first, but it ended up working really well. The style really establishes a sense of fear and disorientation that is all too familiar from my own childhood.(Sorry if you don’t have the same trauma I do, but it worked for me) Anyway, the only time this doesn’t work is when Bella starts having thoughts that just do not line up with the reasoning of an eight-year-old girl. I understand the need for exposition, but when you’ve chosen to write in this way, it can really take you out of the story.

Either way, the dread and tension are built up really well throughout the book. At some point, it does become a bit monotonous, going from one location to another trying to escape from this thing that’s haunting Bella, but overall the story was really good, until it wasn’t.

The major difference between the book and the movie is that by the end of the book I was scratching my head going, what was the point of that? For this reason alone I don’t recommend the book. It just wasn’t for me, but maybe you’ll try it and like it. If you do, drop me a line and let me know what you thought of it.

Now, on to the movie.

From the get-go, the movie does a good job of establishing tension and dread. Other Mommy comes into play very early, but it’s clear that she actually makes Bella uncomfortable slightly uncomfortable. Bella for some reason doesn’t want anyone else to know that she exists. Once Other Mommy is seen by Daddo, the action and horror escalate quickly. Where the movie fails and the book succeeds is in maintaining the tension and dread without it feeling kind of silly.

There are aspects of the movie that I assume were meant to be scary that ended up feeling out of place and unnecessary. There were aspects from the book that I was glad they kept, but also that felt rushed. For instance, if you’ve read the book, Lois Anthony and Ursula’s mother are combined with a couple of other minor characters, but it works for pacing, and you don’t really lose much. It keeps them from hopping to one location or another so often that it starts to feel monotonous, but there are aspects that I wish they’d kept like the séance being more serious. I did enjoy the way they broke Bella’s innocence in the movie, making it a more dire situation than in the book, but it also leaves out a lot of details that help you understand Ursula better.

Overall, I’d give the book a 3 star rating and wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re into the whole Nihilistic world view. The movie was a solid 4 stars for me and I’d recommend seeing it. If you can get past some of the ‘silliness’ then I think you’ll really enjoy it.

Stay spooky friends,

Topher Davis