One of 2024’s best horror novels is getting the film treatment, and seems to be on the fast track to development after recently casting its young lead. Written by Josh Malerman (Bird Box), Incidents Around the House is set to be retitled to Other Mommy when it hits the big screen in 2026 thanks to Universal and Atomic Monster, the same company behind 2021’s Mortal Kombat and its upcoming sequel.
Per Deadline, eight-year-old Arabella Olivia Clark (Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere) has snagged the lead in Other Mommy, taking on the role of Bela, the novel’s protagonist. Directed by Rob Savage from a screenplay by Nathan Elston, she joins previously announced cast members Jessica Chastain (Interstellar, It Chapter Two), Jay Duplass (Baghead, The Baltimorons) and Dichen Lachman (Jurassic World Dominion, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes).
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Published on June 25, 2024, Incidents Around the House received high praise from fans and critics at the time of its release thanks to its unique structure, as the novel is told from the POV of Bela and written in a quick, staccato style. Malerman has always been great at building tension, and here is no different, as the book is a slow-burn psychological thriller with elements of the supernatural that keep the reader guessing. Dealing with deep themes of childhood trauma and parental fears, Incidents Around the House holds a global rating of 3.8/5 on Goodreads, and based on the film’s synopsis, Atomic Monster and company seem to be sticking pretty close to the source material:
“Based on the book Incidents Around the House by Bird Box’s Josh Malerman, the film centers on 8-year-old Bela (Clark), who lives in a home strained by her parents’ troubled marriage, only to see her life further upended by a sinister entity she calls ‘Other Mommy.’ When this malevolent presence emerges from her closet, persistently asking ‘Can I go inside your heart?’, Bela refuses. But soon, Other Mommy’s manifestations become increasingly aggressive, threatening the safety of Bela’s family.”
Atomic Monster Is Busier Than Ever Since Merging with Blumhouse
Universal Pictures
Putting a pin in Other Mommy to turn our attention to Atomic Monster as a whole, the company has a slate of other horror films and sequels on the go right now that are all slated to be released within the next year. In addition to Mortal Kombat II, there’s also The Conjuring: Last Rites, the M3GAN spin-off SOULM8TE, and Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.
That being said, since merging with Blumhouse in early 2024, things have been hit or miss for Atomic Monster as of late. Night Swim was a critical flop, as was the ‘Salem’s Lot remake. The Monkey – based on the short story by Stephen King – has been their only real hit, especially since M3GAN 2.0 failed to dazzle at the box office last month.
Can they redeem themselves with Other Mommy next year as well as everything else that’s coming down the pike? Time will tell, but the switch to a more Coraline-esque title doesn’t give us a lot of hope. We get it — it’s in reference to the story, but as good as Malerman’s novel is, Blumhouse and Atomic Monster don’t have the best track record as of late no matter what they call their movies, so why not just leave it as is to attract fans of the book? Here’s hoping they can pull the nose up to deliver something fresh, rather than just following the same formulaic horror beats many of their films have been known to do.
Look for Other Mommy to hit theaters on May 8, 2026, but in the meantime, you can check out the excellent adaptation of Malerman’s Bird Box streaming now on Netflix.
Source: Deadline
Release Date
December 13, 2018
Runtime
124 minutes
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