What intrigues me about this movie is that I am curious to find out what "Other Mommy" is (please don't tell me if you know)?
There are a few things that come to mind:
1. Doppleganger:
A
doppelgänger<a href="
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppel (
/ˈdɒpəlɡæŋər, -ɡæŋ-/ DOP-əl-gheng-ər, -gang-, also
doppelgaenger and
doppelganger) is a supernatural double of a living person, especially one who haunts the doubled person.
In fiction and mythology and in common parlance, the doppelgänger either is a
ghost or a
paranormal phenomenon, usually perceived as the
harbinger of bad luck. A literary example of a doppelgänger is the
evil twin of the protagonist. In modern times, the term
twin stranger is occasionally used.
2. Mimic
A
mimic is a type of folkloric or mythical creature that disguises itself as a human or another living being in order to deceive others. These beings are found across many cultures and often appear in stories involving shapeshifting, supernatural infiltration, or identity theft. Mimics may imitate individuals to gain trust, to prey upon victims, or to conceal their true nature.
Unlike creatures that naturally change form (such as werewolves or metamorphic spirits), mimics are specifically defined by their intent to impersonate others, often with malicious or deceptive purposes.
3. Faries/Changelings
Ishana Night Shyamalan's directorial debut movie
The Watchers centers around a group of strangers beset by mysterious creatures who watch them every night, and as it turns out, the creatures' origin is based on real-world folklore. Based on the A.M. Shine novel of the same name,
The Watchers stars Dakota Fanning as a young woman who finds herself lost in an uncharted Irish forest. Together with three other similarly stranded strangers, she must find her way back to civilization while dodging the dangerous monsters that emerge from the forest each night.
For most of the movie's runtime, the physical appearance of the creatures is hidden from the audience, as Mina (Fanning) and her companions are stuck behind a two-way mirror in the small building they're stuck in, known as The Coop. As Mina and the others continue to explore The Coop in search of a way out of the woods, they
stumble upon information about the creatures and ultimately wind up face-to-face with them. The creatures' origin has its roots in real European folklore, and their lengthy real-world history provides important context for
the ending of The Watchers.
The eponymous creatures of
The Watchers are revealed to be changelings, a common thread in the different branches of European folklore.
Changelings are supernatural beings that are substituted in place of a person, typically a child, who has been kidnapped by faeries. The legends differ slightly from culture to culture, but a changeling can typically be identified due to the child not developing, displaying unusual behavior, or even advanced intelligence. It's evident now that the legend of changelings was how medieval peasants explained unknown illnesses or developmental disorders like autism spectrum disorder.