{"id":366592,"date":"2026-10-07T05:16:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T05:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/366592\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T05:16:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T05:16:20","slug":"jessica-chastain-is-this-generations-secret-scream-queen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/366592\/","title":{"rendered":"Jessica Chastain Is This Generation’s Secret Scream Queen"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OtherJessica Chastain as Other Mommy in Other Mommy, directed by Rob Savage.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a sentiment I\u2019m going to share that I\u2019m certain any film buff reading this will understand: I love actresses. The performances, the glitz and glamour, all of it. It\u2019s not quite parasocial, but there\u2019s something about actresses that captivates me. I love seeing them stun. Win awards. Weep and scream and act. Few privileges are quite as rewarding as seeing good acting (and that\u2019s why, despite my grievances<\/a>, I\u2019m so grateful to Obsession for introducing us to Inde Navarette).<\/p>\n

Of course, that\u2019s not limited to just Certified Cinephiles. The horror genre especially embraces women like few others. Sure, it\u2019s not perfect, but we have our icons, our scream queens, our fans reasonably obsessed with I Know What You Did Last Summer<\/a>. There are genre stalwarts, and we love them, but when it comes to A-listers (those performers with the highest commercial viability), the trajectory is often as follows: Start in horror, win an Academy Award, and move on. In some circles, horror is cheap \u2013 low-effort cinema that springboards careers rather than sustaining them.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why, small as it might seem, it\u2019s pretty remarkable to see the additional ramifications of horror\u2019s post-2020 upswing, namely with regard to Jessica Chastain and Other Mommy. Chastain, who won an Academy Award in 2022 for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, is one of horror\u2019s secret weapons. An acclaimed, certified A-lister who remains committed to some of the genre\u2019s most daring, exciting projects.<\/p>\n

While not a perfect comparison, this decade\u2019s slate of Best Actress Oscar winners includes few certified horror buffs. Mikey Madison had Scream, sure (but that was pre-win). Emma Stone goes adjacent, but never full horror. Michelle Yeoh is much the same. Cate Blanchett has never been in a genuine horror movie, and neither has Frances McDormand or Meryl Streep. Jennifer Lawrence did Mother!, but audience reactions might have scared her away from horror for good.<\/p>\n

Jessica Chastain doesn\u2019t just embrace the genre, but she lends her inimitable talent to some of the most daring\u2014and enduring\u2014horror movies of the generation. I\u2019ve read Josh Malerman\u2019s Incidents Around the House, so I\u2019m as confident as can be that it\u2019s going to be seriously scary. That is to say nothing of Chastain\u2019s other forays into the genre, so here we\u2019ll be looking at her history in the genre and why she remains one of the genre\u2019s secret weapons.<\/p>\n

Mama<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtesy of Universal Pictures<\/p>\n

In Andy Muschietti\u2019s Mama, Chastain flexed her serious horror muscles. She\u2019d already been nominated for two Academy Awards by this point in her career, and Mama was the A-lister\u2019s first foray into explicit genre filmmaking. While she\u2019d co-starred in both Take Shelter (so, so excellent) and Texas Killing Fields before, Mama was certified mainstream terror.<\/p>\n

And while Mama launched Muschietti\u2019s career (and Chastain would collaborate with him again), the actress is the best thing about it. Bucking maternal convention, Chastain is gritty, punk, and wholly uninterested in being a mother. Sure, the script eventually aligns her with hegemonic, motherly instincts, but Chastain always elevates the familiar material. It\u2019s not just a good performance in a horror movie \u2013 it\u2019s an incredible performance, period.<\/p>\n

Crimson Peak<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtesy of Universal Pictures<\/p>\n

Crimson Peak hive, rise up! I\u2019m an avid, unequivocal fan of Guillermo del Toro\u2019s take on traditional Gothic horror, and I think the biggest contributor to the polarizing reception largely had to do with a disinterest in accepting the movie on del Toro\u2019s terms. It\u2019s nuanced, but we should take and evaluate movies as what they are, not what we, individually, wish they had been. Narratively, no, Crimson Peak doesn\u2019t do a single thing anyone even remotely familiar with Gothic horror hasn\u2019t seen before. Every ostensible twist and plot beat is so glaringly obvious, even a comatose audience could tell you that B comes after A, followed by C, onward with 100% accuracy.<\/p>\n

But guess what? Crimson Peak is also dripping with a sensual Gothic aesthetic. The director\u2019s trademarked, tactile ghosts are better than ever, oozing blood and crimson, and the set design and costuming are the best work in a century from everyone involved. And, of course, Jessica Chastain hams it up as an evil sister murdering brides and stealing their wealth. \u2018Ham\u2019 maybe even isn\u2019t appropriate to use there. Ham is easy. What Chastain accomplishes is anything but. She\u2019s icy, insidious, seductive, and perfectly aligned with del Toro\u2019s fairy tale sensibilities. There\u2019s a version of Crimson Peak I love a lot less, and it\u2019s any rendition that doesn\u2019t have Chastain floating down the stairs drenched in blood.<\/p>\n

It Chapter Two<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures<\/p>\n

Fan casting: how I both love and loathe you. In the case of It: Chapter Two, at least, I lean toward love. Muschietti\u2019s follow-up to It: Chapter One (still the highest-grossing horror movie ever made) was hotly anticipated, especially for its casting announcements. Unlike Tommy Lee Wallace\u2019s miniseries, Muschietti eschewed the dual timelines for a cleaner split between the adolescent and adult Losers. And while It: Chapter One hasn\u2019t aged all that gracefully (sorry\u2026), it remains a showcase for some of the most remarkable child performances of all time. The adults had big shoes, metaphorically speaking, to fill. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Leading up to the formal casting announcement, Chastain was top of mind to take over for Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh. Now, in fairness (hence the loathing of fan casting), most everyone fan-cast Chastain because of her looks, whether she was otherwise suited for the role or not. It\u2019s serendipitous, then, that Chastain was not only an excellent match physically for Lillis, but a damned good\u2014perhaps generational\u2014talent to boot.<\/p>\n

Beverly is the character I\u2019ve always resonated with the most in King\u2019s source material and the two film adaptations, and Chastain\u2019s innate, understated gravitas was a perfect fit. She captured the terror, cowardice, uncertainty, and ultimate commitment to the Losers that make Beverly Marsh such a textured, dimensional character, one who is more than just a vessel for trauma (a regressive trope King can admittedly lean into at times). It: Chapter Two <\/a>is big, mythic, and unique<\/a>, and whenever Chastain is on the screen, you can\u2019t help but feel you\u2019re seeing something truly special. That\u2019s the magic of the movies.<\/p>\n

Other Mommy<\/p>\n

\"\"Jessica Chastain as Other Mommy in Other Mommy, directed by Rob Savage.<\/p>\n

First, I am begging the internet to let go of the \u201cIt should be titled Other Mother\u201d sentiment. Read the book. I promise this isn\u2019t an arbitrary title opposed to alliteration. Otherwise, while I\u2019ve yet to see the film, the second trailer\u2019s capstone of Chastain cackling in the backseat of a car is simply sensational. That moment alone convinces me she\u2019s going to be one helluva monster, and having read the source material, I can only imagine what else she has in store.<\/p>\n

While the adaptation looks to depart from the novel in some key ways, those departures do at least look to give Chastain her Lupita Nyong\u2019o moment. Dual roles are never easy, and while it remains to be seen just how Rob Savage directs the distinction between the real and other mommy, I\u2019m certain Chastain has the chops to deliver, keeping us in breathless suspense until the terrifying end.<\/p>\n

Raise one up for Jessica Chastain, and be sure to catch Other Mommy in theaters on October 9. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags:Crimson Peak<\/a> IT: Chapter 2<\/a> Jessica Chastain<\/a> Mama<\/a> other mommy<\/a><\/p>\n

Categorized:Editorials<\/a><\/p>\n

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