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The Baddest and Raddest Moms of Horror

Have you called your mother today?
Toni Collette Hereditary
By  · Published on May 11th, 2019

Anna (Possession)

Possession

Featuring perhaps one of the most committed performances captured on film, Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession, starring Isabelle Adjani as Anna, is a movie that shocked in 1981 and is still an unparalleled, merciless whirlwind today. I hesitate to speak on the plot because this is a film that must be seen — and seen with no preconceived notions of what to expect — to be believed and I don’t want to ruin anything for those yet to watch it. Suffice it to say that the set up of a story about Anna and her spy husband Mark (Sam Neill), who live with their son in Berlin, goes off the rails when Mark returns home to discover Anna wants a divorce. While the film has a lot on its mind, the parts that resonate most deeply all concern the brutal experiences connected to Anna as a mother, including the famous subway scene that unleashed the full potential of Adjani as an actor. – Anna


Norma Bates (Psycho)

Psycho

Mrs. Bates gets the last word. With her lover and self brutally murdered at the hands of her jealous son, she finds her revenge through the shattering of the child’s mind. Years after the act, Norman Bates is torn in two. His shy, mild demeanor simmers with lust. He peeps on the guests that wander into their motel, salivating at the notion of sharing with them something more than a peanut butter sandwich. Unable to express or even understand those emotions, Mother ruptures from his psyche to extinguish the object of his sin — the mental split screams with a shriek of Bernard Herrmann’s strings and penetrates the flesh with a pristine kitchen knife. Mother remains. Taking permanent residence in her son, Mrs. Bates sits vigilant behind the eyes of Norman. Best friends forever. – Brad


Woman (The People Under The Stairs)

Peopleunderthestairs

If 2019 has taught us anything, it’s that money makes people fucking crazy. Which is exactly why the nameless mother (Wendy Robie, credited as Woman) in this unheralded Wes Craven gem may be the quintessential modern-day villain. Along with her similarly nameless husband (Man, portrayed by Everitt McGill, a deliriously perfect Twin Peaks reunion), Mommy and Daddy are a couple of coffin dealers turned real estate tycoons who have lost their minds from wealth and greed, imprisoning their children — among others — inside the urban equivalent of the home in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Channeling her inner Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford, Wendy Robie punctuates each of her scenes with demented glee, embodying the idiom: “you love to hate ’em.” – Jacob


Margaret White (Carrie)

Carrie

Inspired by Augusta Gein, the mother of the notorious serial killer Ed Gein, Margaret White (Piper Laurie) is the personification of fanatical religious ideals that are harmful to our society. It’s no wonder that her daughter had enough in the end and decided to kill her following years of physical and emotional abuse. She’s one of the most detestable characters in horror history, but there’s no denying that she’s one memorable villain. Religious extremism is much scarier than any supernatural spook, and this crazy mama is a reminder of that. – Kieran


Laurie Strode (The Halloween Franchise)

Laurie Strode

Laurie Strode definitely isn’t the best mom in horror, but she might be the most mom. Jamie Lee Curtis’ iconic character has had three different children in three different versions of the Halloween canon. The first, Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris), is an adorable little girl who remembers her late mom fondly in The Curse of Michael Myers and The Revenge of Michael Myers. Later, when Laurie’s alive again, a young Josh Hartnett plays her pesky teen son, John, in Halloween: H20. Finally, 2018’s Halloween presents Karen (Judy Greer) as Laurie’s grown daughter. Both times that Laurie has appeared as a living mother, her kids resented her for what they saw as paranoid tendencies. Both times, PTSD caused the parent-child relationship to suffer greatly, but the kids were ultimately kept safe by Laurie’s over-the-top preparations for Michael’s return. At their worst, these sequels are a schlocky mess, but at their best, they show the complicated effects that trauma and survivor’s guilt can have on a family. Plus, what kid wouldn’t want a mom who could build intricate Home Alone style traps and decapitate a bad guy with a fire ax for you? – Valerie

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Jacob Trussell is a writer based in New York City. His editorial work has been featured on the BBC, NPR, Rue Morgue Magazine, Film School Rejects, and One Perfect Shot. He's also the author of 'The Binge Watcher's Guide to The Twilight Zone' (Riverdale Avenue Books). Available to host your next spooky public access show. Find him on Twitter here: @JE_TRUSSELL (He/Him)