Mother’s Day is coming up, and like most people, you’ll probably want to celebrate it by remembering the goodness your mom brings to your life. But what if you want a little bit of scariness to go along with your Mother’s Day celebrations? Well, give an Anti-Mother’s Day film marathon a try. Below are seven horrifying mothers from some of your favorite films that will remind you how lucky you are to have an awesome mom.
Mrs. Lovett (“Sweeney Todd,” 2007): Mrs. Lovett doesn’t have any biological children, but she did become a surrogate mother to orphan Toby. What makes Mrs. Lovett scary is her willingness to sacrifice the love of a child for the love of a man who doesn’t love her. Mrs. Lovett abandons her ward to the bowels of her meat pie shop, only for him to find out that his guardian and her companion are feeding ground –up people to their patrons. This knowledge drives poor Toby insane.
Joan Crawford (“Mommy Dearest,” 1981): Joan Crawford was a tremendous actress in her day, but, thanks to the film “Mommy Dearest”–based on the tell-all memoir by Crawford’s adopted daughter, Christina– viewers found out she was a mother that was just as scary as any fictional evil queen. There’s tons of emotional and physical abuse shown in the film, including that iconic “wire hanger” scene. The now-infamous scene showed the full extent of Crawford’s extreme behavior. To be fair, it should be noted that it’s been debated as to whether Crawford, an alcoholic, suffered from either bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder.
The evil Queen (“Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” 1937): Snow White’s jealous-hearted stepmother, the evil Queen, has a severely glamorous old Hollywood edge, which somehow serves to only make her even more terrifying. The Queen showed audiences how someone so alluring could also be so horrifying; not only did the Wicked Witch send a huntsman to kill her stepdaughter, but she later disguised herself to take Snow White a poisonous apple in an attempt to end her life once and for all.
Lady Tremaine (“Cinderella,”1950): Disney continued the trend of evil stepmothers with “Cinderella.” Cinderella’s stepmother, Lady Tremaine married Cinderella’s father only to later imprisoned Cinderella in her own home, make her become a slave to her spoiled stepsisters and tried to keep her from meeting her Prince Charming by locking her up in her room in the attic. Thanks to Lady Tremaine (and the Queen), children grew up in fear of stepmothers everywhere.
Mrs. Voorhees (“Friday the 13th,” 1980): Mothers generally go to any length to protect their children, but Pamela, better known as Mrs. Voorhees, takes that sentiment to a whole new level. After blaming her son Jason’s death on the counselors as Camp Crystal Lake, Mrs. Voorhees goes on a killing spree in an attempt to avenge her poor son. She might have died, but her legacy still lives on in the form of Jason, who is not only alive, but is now superhuman.
Mrs. Bates (“Psycho,” 1960): Norman Bates is crazy, to be sure, but his psychosis stems directly from his equally insane mother, Norma. Norma teaches her son that all women, apart from herself are whores and that sex is evil. They also live together for many years in an odd relationship bordering on a husband-wife dynamic. This toxic childhood primed Norman to kill his mother’s boyfriend (whom he viewed as a threat) and his mother herself. The grief from killing his mother causes him to mummify her corpse and take on her personality and mannerisms. His mental state also causes him to kill women he was sexually attracted to; any woman Norman was attracted to was then viewed by his “mother” as a threat and had to be taken care of.
Mama (“Mama,” 2013): Mama is a horrifying entity now, but she was an actual, living mother at one point. After being split from her baby, a mental asylum patient named Edith Brennan took her child and jumped off the cliff. While her child was killed on impact after hitting a tree branch, Edith fell into the water and later became a wandering spirit wanting to know what happened to her child. While on the search for her child, she comes across two children in the woods and uses them as replacements for her child. Mama may be sympathetic, but she’s also terrifying; not only does she walk on all fours and evoke fear from her otherworldly appearance, but she also can possess others and go to disturbing lengths to keep her “children” safe.
If you’re not about giving your mother flowers this Mother’s Day, watching “Mama” will surely be an unconventional and scary way to celebrate the holiday. “Mama” will be available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital Download May 7. If you want to learn more about Mama, make sure to check out the official “Mama” Facebook page, where you can find cool “Mama” branded memes. Also, make sure to check out the trailer for “The Purge,” coming to theaters June 7.
