The Baddest and Raddest Moms of Horror

Have you called your mother today?
Toni Collette Hereditary

She (Antichrist)

What could possibly make for a better bad mom than a mom convinced of her own inherent evil? Lars von Trier’s notoriously hard to watch horror movie centers on an unnamed woman played by Charlotte Gainsbourg who retreats to a cabin with her husband following the death of their son. Issues of grief, guilt, the burden of motherhood, and depression come crashing down on the unhappy couple, resulting in some truly brutal scenes of body horror. Antichrist is certainly tough to sit through, but it’s also utterly brilliant, challenging in ways that von Trier excels at, and it takes the proverbial cake when it comes to mothers at their worst. – Anna


Mama Firefly (House of 1000 Corpses)

Even though they’re cannibalistic serial killers, the Fireflys’ bond is as strong as any regular family unit. Perhaps even more so because they’re into some freaky shit. Mama Firefly (Karen Black) might have raised her offspring to live on the outskirts of the law and indulge in some pretty disgusting habits, but the love she has for her demented children is admirable. One of the sweetest moments in the history of cinema is the scene in House of 1000 Corpses where she gives Baby permission to have some fun with their doomed guests because she knows that’ll make her happy. She’s a very affectionate mother who spoils her adult children, and more parents could learn a thing or two from her in that regard. Maybe don’t let your kids become cannibals and necrophiliacs, folks, but at least treat them with warmth and spoil them rotten. – Kieran


Nola Carveth (The Brood)

So David Cronenberg made The Brood while he was going through a divorce and a custody battle and, uh, it shows. While the disturbed, isolated Nola (Samantha Eggar) is technically a bad mom because she birthed all those murder gremlins and is trying to take back/murder her human daughter, on the other hand … she has a brood? So maybe she’s … the best mom? After all, she does love her weird little navel-less family. They’re odd, homicidal, toothless Canadian toddlers, but a mother’s love knows no bounds! She loves them! They make her stronger! They’re physical manifestations of her psychological trauma! What a nice, simple family movie! Roger Ebert called The Brood an “el sleazo exploitation film.” In other words, you should rent it as soon as humanly possible to bask in Nola’s motherly prowess! – Meg


Ellen Brody (Jaws: The Revenge)

Ellen Brody’s first two appearances in the Jaws franchise didn’t really give her a lot to work with. She has a few moments but takes a back seat to her police chief husband and the giant, bloodthirsty shark. In the fourth entry, Jaws: The Revenge, however, the now widowed Ellen (Lorraine Gary) steps to the forefront. After seeing her youngest son killed by, well, a shark, she decides to leave New England and move out to the Bahamas to be with her oldest son, Michael, his wife, and their daughter.

Surely there’s no way this latest great white can harm her family now that they live 1,200 miles away, right? Wrong! This new shark is related to the first shark and now wants revenge on the Brody family. And how do we know all this? Because Ellen now has some sort of unexplained psychic abilities that she uses to connect with the shark, and it is by using these abilities that she learns of the shark’s motives and comes to the only logical conclusion possible: she must fight the shark! Ellen, being the strong mother she is, takes a stand and will no longer let her family be bullied by dumb sharks. In an epic conclusion that involves flashbacks to previous films, boat stabbing, electrical shockwaves, and debate as to whether or not Mario Van Peebles lives, Ellen establishes herself as the most badass Brody by finally defeating the evil great whites once and for all!

Happy Mother’s Day to you, Mrs. Brody. Why not celebrate by taking a relaxing cruise? You’ve earned it. – Chris


Donna Trenton (Cujo)

The best heroes are human, and humans have flaws. Still, it’s rare to see film heroes, in horror or elsewhere, display truly serious flaws in their character. Donna Trenton (Dee Wallace) is somewhat special in that regard as a wife and mother who is cheating on her husband. That’s a shitty trait typically relegated to “bad” characters, but smart writing — from Stephen King’s book and Lewis Teague’s film — combined with an under-appreciated performance by Wallace help create one of horror’s most enduring mothers. She fights tooth and nail to protect her young son from a rabid dog, and in the process, she takes a character whose actions have left her at arm’s length with viewers and turns her into one we don’t dare let go of. The pressure even sees her snap at the boy in the midst of the nightmare, but when the filmmakers wanted to nix the scene for fear it would leave audiences cold, it was Wallace who fought to keep it. Humans have flaws, and the best heroes are human. – Rob


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Jacob Trussell: 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)