In this Spook Central column, we take on the most terrifying trope of them all: “The Evil Mom.” This trope stirs our most profound levels of fear, with good reason. Our mothers were our first source of life, sustenance, and safety. Without the warm, womb, and nutrient flow from umbilical cords, we would simply not be. After birth, mothers become our guardians, our most dependable source of comfort and safety. They are our cheerleaders in life and an unconditional delivery system of support.
Now, turn that into a hateful, source of danger and evil. We are left bereft of any feelings of security and, sometimes even sense of self. The connection runs so deep, that playing with this concept in the arena of horror turns it into a guaranteed creep factory.
Maternal horror can come in many forms. From obsessive mothers, to ghostly mommies out for revenge, or demonic impregnation of innocent wombs. Maternal horror is a fertile field for our deepest fears. It’s the perfect fodder for Halloween season! With the horror movie season officially underway, here’s a list of recommended viewings featuring Bad, Bad Mommas, a.k.a The Evil Mom.
Mommie Dearest (1981)
Directed by Frank Perry and based on the tell-all memoir by daughter Christina Crawford, this movie is a roller coaster of maternal abuse. Faye Dunaway gives a full-bodied performance as Joan Crawford, the 1930s Hollywood star. Crawford, who adopted 5 children in all, was accused of severe psychological and physical abuse by Christina.
In the film, we get a terrifying and unhinged performance by Dunaway. She depicts Crawford as a volatile mother who beats and terrorizes her adopted daughter at every turn. Dunaway is absolutely riveting and very scary. Her wide, mad eyes as she rants at the angelic Christina will send shivers down your spine. Her performance carries the horror of this movie.
Due to its age, it can feel a bit campy and it wasn’t highly lauded. This adds to its cult classic status, though. It’s a perfect spooky season viewing and is currently streaming on AMC+.
Hereditary (2018)
If you are a horror nut and haven’t seen this masterpiece yet, snap to it! Toni Collette deserved every acting award on the planet for her performance as Annie. Ari Aster’s layered, utterly rewatchable film drips with nuance and subtlety. The bad Momma here isn’t Angie. Yet, her character is so complex and broken that she’s not mother-of-the-year either.
For full effect, you must let this film break you down emotionally. Then in that vulnerable place, the true horror of the story will seep into your psyche. Collette’s performance will do the trick, as long as you give into her incredible gravitas.
Technically, this movie is on point. The sound design, masterful writing, artistic design and gorgeous cinematography raise the bar in horror. The set design alone is epic. The twists and turns are horrific. If you don’t really understand the ending, I dare you to watch it again. Once it clicks, watch it yet again, just to make sure. Hereditary is currently streaming on Showtime.
Friday the 13th (1980)
It’s easy to forget that Jason Vorhees wasn’t the bad guy in the original film. In fact, it was a very angry momma who avenged her handicapped son’s death. Naughty teenagers were too busy fooling around to notice her drowning son.
As a result, Pamela Vorhees took matters under the knife. As iconic as a film gets, the original Friday the 13th would go on to spur numerous sequels. They would “birth” the stoic and unstoppable villain, Jason Vorhees. This classic is a must-view for the Halloween season, and the epitome of a very bad momma! The film is directed by Sean S. Cunningham and stars Betsy Palmer as Mrs. Vorhees. You can rent it on Apple TV.
Flowers In The Attic (1987)
Based on the popular novel of the same title by V.C. Andrews, this film features some of the meanest Mommas around! A recently widowed woman, known in the film as Mother (Victoria Tennant), and her four children are forced to return to her family estate.
The matriarch or Grandmother, played by Oscar-winner Louise Fletcher, is evil incarnate. Grandmother disapproved of Mother’s dead now-dead husband. And thus, she hates her four grandchildren. She locks them in the attic for years, torturing them slowly.
Mother, seduced by the wealth and luxury of her previous life, abandons her children to their fate. It’s not a great film and has aged poorly. But if you read the books, it’s enough to haunt you just a little bit. Otherwise, it’s a fun film to host a drinking game.
Sybil (1976)
Winner of four Primetime Emmy Awards, one for Sally Fields’ performance, Sybil is a mini-series made for television. It was directed by Daniel Petrie and Sally Fields performs the titular role. Fields plays a woman with dissociative identity disorder, or multiple personalities.
Her disorder developed due to intense sexual, physical, and psychological abuse by her mother. Martine Bartlett plays Hattie, Sybil’s schizophrenic mother who commits unspeakable acts on her young daughter. The flashback scenes of inferred abuse curdle the stomach. Triggering and effective, the mini-series is arguably a horror story. It also gives us a fascinating window to the evolution of psychology in the 1970s.
Some might say that Hattie was a victim of her own illness, being untreated for schizophrenia. However, the movie shows that Hattie knowingly covers her tracks and only abuses Sybil when her husband is gone. Whatever the cause, she was truly a monster. The fact that it’s a true story and a famous case in psychiatry, makes it all the more terrifying. Sybil is only available for purchase on Amazon.
Mom And Dad (2017)
Penned and directed by Brian Taylor, Mom And Dad came in hot in the festival circuits. A refreshing take on horror, an unknown pandemic hits a suburban community causing parents to go into a homicidal rage against their children. No child is safe from their folks. The parents mean blood-thirsty business. Selma Blair plays Kendall, a loving mother who falls victim to the disease.
Her husband, Brent (Nicolas Cage), also succumbs to the illness. Subsequently, their two teenage kids must fight to survive. Blair and Cage bring awesome intensity to their performances. It’s a no-holds-barred roller coaster of a horror comedy with some intense sequences that stay with you. Strap in for the ride and get ready to have some crazy fun. Mom And Dad is currently streaming on Starz.
Carrie (1976)
Brian De Palma and Stephen King’s collaboration in the classic hit Carrie is another fantastic example of terrible parenting by a bad mother. Piper Laurie plays the twisted Margaret White, Carrie’s sin-obsessed mother. Sissy Spacek performs as the troubled Carrie. She endures a retched and sheltered upbringing by her crazy mother.
Margaret is a fanatic Christian, abandoned by her husband and hell-bent on keeping Carrie pure. She obsesses with preventing Carrie from all potential sexual influences. The sheltered and uneducated Carrie is thus thrust into the savage and unkind world of high school social workings. She is mocked, terrorized, and pushed to the edge. The result is one of the most iconic scenes in horror movie history. We recommend the original 1976 version, and it’s currently streaming on AMC+.
