The Odyssey viewers stunned by 'disturbing' trailer shown before film that 'needs a trigger warning'
The Odyssey may be the hottest film in cinemas right now, but there's a trailer for a lesser-known Jessica Chastain thriller which is stealing viewers' attention.
Adapted from the 2024 novel Incidents Around the House, Other Mommy is a psychological horror scheduled for release in October – and it has a very disturbing premise.
The film focuses on an eight-year-old girl named Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark) who is being stalked by a demonic entity which emerged from her closet.
After taking the form of her mother (Chastain), the 'Other Mommy' becomes 'increasingly threatening' towards Bela and her family.
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A malevolent entity which largely resembles a young child's parent? Sure sounds like the stuff of nightmares.
Take a look at the trailer below to see what we're talking about:
Feel a bit creeped out after seeing Jessica Chastain hanging out under the table with her limbs bent backwards? You're not the only one, as viewers have been collectively freaked out after seeing the trailer played ahead of Christopher Nolan's historical epic.
"The trailer for the new Jessica Chastain movie played during our showing of the odyssey and please keep that tf away from me," wrote one person X, to which another replied: "I was like absolutely not! I need a trigger warning."
"My biggest takeaway from The Odyssey isn’t anything about The Odyssey itself. It’s the horror movie trailer that they showed right before for ‘Other Mommy’ that won’t allow me to sleep for the foreseeable future," penned a second person.
"WHEN THAT B***H WAS HIDING UNDER THE KITCHEN ISLAND. Holy s**t," added a third.
Over on Reddit, viewers were left similarly disturbed by the trailer, with several people revealing they initially believed the trailer to be an ice-cream advert. "When I first saw this trailer in theaters before The Odyssey the beginning had me thinking it was an ad for Turkey Hill ice cream - Mom and daughter would go into the kitchen and have ice cream for dinner and smile," one person wrote. "Oh god was I wrong."
"Just walked out of The Odyssey. Exact same train of thought. I was stumped as to why Jessica Chastain was doing a Turkey Hill commercial," commented a second.
While plot details for Other Mommy are currently being kept under wraps, unless you want to read the book and spoil yourself before October, director Rob Savage has spoken about his motivation for creating the film, telling Empire that he'd noticed audiences were 'hungering for something new and subversive'.
He went on to explain that Bela's parents' crumbling relationship allows the Other Mommy to make her way into the youngster's life.
"The emotional journey of the mother-daughter story plays in parallel with all the different ways that Other Mommy’s manipulating and gaslighting and turning up the heat on Bella and the family, as she pursues them across the movie.
"The whole movie plays that tension between Other Mommy and the mother. Her insidious goal is trying to drive a wedge between Bela and her family. That idea of who you let in – good or bad, family or foe – is central to the movie."
Sounds terrifying, I'm in.
The Odyssey: Origins of the ancient poem and the filming locations
Written: Between 725 BC and 675 BC, so more than 2,500 years ago
Based on a true story? Mostly no (cyclops aren’t real). Historians are unsure if the Trojan War really happened
Who wrote The Odyssey? Homer, but historians don't know much about him and debate if he is a single person or a group of poets
How long is the movie? 2hrs, 52mins - best go to the loo beforehand
Where was the movie filmed? The Hellenic Film Commission explained Nolan and co filmed at several locations in the Peloponnese, including Nestor’s Cave, Voidokilia Beach and Almyrolaka Beach, which are all on the island of Pylos; Methoni Castle, at a port town of the same name in southwestern Greece; and Acrocorinth, a monolith overlooking the ancient city of Corinth.
According to Vogue, filming also took place in Morocco, in Marrakech, Tahanaoute, El Haouz, Essaouira and Ouarzazate. The cast and crew were also spotted on the Sicilian island of Favignana, while they filmed in Iceland for the underworld scenes.
Continuing their whistlestop tour of Europe, the Odyssey team also filmed in Scotland, along the Moray Firth Coast and at Findlater Castle and Culbin Forest.
The Odyssey in IMAX 70mm vs normal cinema screens: Helpfully, the film's website shows different versions of the trailer in six different formats, all with different aspect ratios. You can see the difference between IMAX 70mm (warning you now, there are only three IMAX 70mm screens in the whole of the UK) and the standard 35mm format.
The Odyssey is in cinemas now.
Topics: Entertainment, Film
Brenna Cooper