Horror can shock, excite, confuse and subvert through playing with societal boundaries, but where horror is painfully conventional is in its portrayal of mothers as terrifying, monstrous figures. Why do directors morph motherhood into something intangible and horrific?
In horror, mothers get a bad rap. This is often to make the plot more exhilarating, engaging and, simply put, entertaining. Motherhood as demonic, terrifying, and violent is a common trope.
This presentation of mothers is usually born from the inability to conform to the socio-political qualities associated with motherhood.
For horror fans, this is a beloved trope. It opens the mind to a new reality, unlike our world. The Woman in Black (2014) epitomises this trope, with a dead mother using supernatural abilities to haunt and kill children. That’s not part of the real world, but the idea that is alive on our screens is what ultimately draws us to this.
Filmmakers use the mother, an aspiration for so many girls, a job that encapsulates the importance of being gentle, loving, and compassionate, and convert it into something almost unrecognisable—something hellish. The paradox itself excites viewers and creates a social taboo.
Peter Anthony, a TV critic who specialises in horror movies, says: “Horror films have a sinister and somewhat worrying depiction of the ‘mother’, where she is portrayed as a villain, overbearing, sadistic, and monstrous and, in some cases, able to influence the behaviour of others.”
Anthony cites Greta, a film where a childless widow (Isabelle Huppert) becomes obsessed with a young girl (Chloë Grace Moretz), as playing into this presentation of motherhood.
“This depiction illustrates our perception of a somewhat mother figure as a kind, safe and supportive individual whom we trust and warm to which in turn leaves us open to abuse and terrifying psychological torture”.
He also acknowledges the positive representation of the woman and the mother, as opposed to the sadistic representations of women.
“In the ‘slasher’ films, I always notice a trend throughout the movie. The women were young and innocent who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or were naïve enough to put themselves at risk in situations most people would avoid.”
In horror, women have been portrayed as victims. They’re seen as weak and vulnerable to abusive partners or sadistic killers inflicting harm and trauma. By contrast, mothers are afforded more power. There’s still vulnerability, but they’re courageous, strong individuals, intent on protecting their children says Anthony.
“The film Poltergeist is a good example where the predator is not human, but a supernatural entity trying to take the child. Her mother exhibits uncharacteristic heroism, stopping at nothing to save her daughter.”
Related: Read DirectHer’s breakdown of Mother-Daughter Relationships
Now, this is certainly not the case for every horror film, but filmmakers who explore this trope represent the women in a far more attractive way than other films do.
The conservative, traditional, archaic mother that a 19th-century audience would have loved to have seen on their screen just isn’t a reality anymore. Therefore, we should consider the question, are the producers trying to be accurate by presenting the ‘mother’ as a character that isn’t perfect but rather flawed? Perhaps filmmakers intentionally do this to challenge what’s safe, to test the stereotype of the mother, to encourage a reaction, to push the conservative envelope and ultimately entertain their audience. That’s what the film industry is all about.
Indiewire’s Alison Foreman distinguishes motherhood and the portrayal of mother-child relationships. She says: “Maternal horror narratives harbour a great potential for destabilising the norm. Its true, horror cinema has a reputation for challenging and dismantling the status quo in numerous ways, yet motherhood seems to lend itself as an exception.
“The nature of the horror genre – its preoccupation with monstrosity, abjection and horrific familial scenarios – the issues surrounding the mother-child dyad are generally presented in a more extreme and terrifying manner”.
Of course, this is all designed to fulfil the filmmakers’ aim—to shock the audience and present the mother in a detached, uncaring way.
Carrie (1976) shows a strained relationship between a mother (Piper Laurie) and child (Sissy Spacek), where an overbearing religious mother manipulates and restricts her daughter’s freedom.
“The more sinister and frightening portrayals, Hush where the mother hates her new daughter-in-law to Mommie Dearest, Mom And Dad, and The Babadook, all of which in the beginning, lull the audience into a false sense of security, revealing the real demons as the movie progresses”.
The horrific portrayal of motherhood doesn’t just stop at emotional portrayals. The mothers’ physical appearance plays a tremendous part, too.
Carolyn Gordon, a makeup artist who has worked at Pinewood Studio, says: “Makeup helps to transform an actor and helps them embody their character.”
Hereditary (2018) is an example of how makeup has been done to portray the mother as a monster by subverting the idea of a mother’s unconditional love and turning it into hatred for her son.
In her grief over the death of her daughter, she blames her son and imagines ants attacking him in his sleep.
“Her makeup would have been done to highlight her lack of love for her son, her emotional torment, and her anguish. The image of a mother can be so powerful, and makeup has a large responsibility to make that image come alive to the audience”.
In other genres, mothers are so often portrayed as traditional, loving people. Horror twists this and subverts this perception to portray mothers as evil and intent on administering maximum pain to their victims.
Some portray this through pushing mothers to the extreme, Friday the 13th, whilst others become monstrous through personal tragedy or circumstances.
Whatever the reason may be, audiences keep coming back for more monstrous mothers. Filmmakers will respond to this demand with supply, and new variations on the evils of motherhood will continue to crop up in years to come.
