Mother’s Day Special: The Top 6 Psycho Mom’s!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the awesome mum’s out there. In the horror film, mother’s have played an integral part in the makings of some of our beloved psycho killers. So, what better way to spend mother’s day than counting down some of my personal top five maniacal mother’s who have created carnage on our blood-splattered screens for several decades. These martriach’s would go to any warped lengths for their children and that’s why we love them! I’d like to dedicate this review to my own mother as a thank you for introducing me to the horror genre at a young age, attending some of the UK’s best festivals with me and for generally being awesome.

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6. Mrs Koffin, Mother’s Day (2010)

• Played by Rebecca De Mornay

In a performance uncannily similar to that in 90’s thriller, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (1992); Rebecca De Mornay yet again plays an unhinged woman with maternal instincts. This mother will do all she can to protect her sons, even kill! When a bank robbery goes wrong, the three Koffin brothers turn to their mother for assistance in occupying their old house while taking the new owners and their friends hostage. Initially Mrs Koffin acts friendly towards the frightened individuals, but once she questions them about supposed money her sons had sent her to that address and the group fail to comply in giving back what’s rightfully her’s, things get nasty! With a calm and collected exterior, Mrs Koffin soon shows she’s not to be messed with, permitting her sons to carry out unspeakable acts of violence on the innocent victims. Ambiguous and unsettling, this psychological thriller keeps the audience on edge unknowing what the mother will do next! Mother’s Day was originally a 1980’s exploitation, Troma film directed by Charles Kaufman that has since garnered a cult following, but in this case Darren Lyn Bousman created a glossy, loose re-telling to fit in with today’s Hollywood standard of remakes. That said, Rebecca De Mornay proved to be the perfect casting choice in an overall enjoyable film.

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5. Beverly Sutphin, Serial Mom (1994)

• Played By Kathleen Turner

Kathleen Turner is superb as the crazed suburban housewife who gets her kicks out of murdering those who don’t comply by her rules! In John Waters warped social commentary on media violence and its effects on society, deranged Beverly Sutphin becomes somewhat of a serial killer celebrity gaining empathy and support from her adoring public. She is most defensive when it comes to her two teenage children Chip and Misty, she brutally runs over her son’s Maths teacher who claims he needs psychological help due to an “unhealthy obsession” with horror movies and graphically impales her daughter’s love interest when she spots him with another girl. Beverly isn’t the most subtle of serial killers, she doesn’t cover her tracks well and is pretty much suspected from the off. She gets her thrills from terrorizing her neighbor with obscene phone calls and isn’t afraid to be vocal about her distaste for others behavior. She is however a lot smarter than first assumed and manages to defend herself in court, getting the backs up of her antagonists and influencing the jury to set her free. In a extraordinary Waters style twist, Beverly’s husband and children are fiercely loyal to her, campaigning for her release while unashamedly basking in the fact their mother has murdered six people with some gruesome methods. In a film very much commenting on the changing society of the 90’s and media influence, Beverly is a glorified serial killer much to do with the fact she embodies what a lot of women could relate to, the fairly normal housewife and mother archetype who is not to be underestimated. The themes in this black comedy such as blame on media violence and the glamorization of murder trials still holds relevant. Beverly is one quirky killing mother not to be messed with. Remember, always recycle and rewind your video tapes!

 

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4.  Mrs Bates, Psycho (1960)

• Played By Anthony Perkins

Arguably one of the most iconic mother’s in horror, Mrs Bates is integral to son Norman’s psychosis and despite being a rotting corpse she makes a prominent presence in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic adaptation. Driven by jealousy, in life Mrs Bates behaved in a controlling manner towards her only son, forbidding him any romantic involvement and claiming any woman with her as an exception were “whores”. Norman lived isolation with his mother for several years until she embarks on a relationship with Joe Constidine who encourages her to open the infamous Bates Motel. Feeling his mother slipping away from him following neglect, Norman cruelly poisons her and her husband to be in a staged suicide attempt. Unable to deal with his loss with guilt weighing heavy on his shoulders, Norman brings his mother back to life in a sense as she becomes a section of his personality, motivating his psychotic tendencies against women he develops an attraction for. Norman dresses in her clothes while maintaining her mummified corpse. By the film’s end Norman becomes institutionalized with his mother’s personality consuming him. She acts as a justification for his murderous ways. Mrs Bates was heavily influential on one of the suspense genre’s most well-remembered killers. When Hitchcock released Psycho he achieved a hair-raising effect on his audience especially with the reveal of this macabre mother’s decaying corpse and Norman Bates’s disturbed split personality. Her legacy lives on!

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3. Mrs Loomis, Scream 2 (1997)

• Played By Laurie Metcalf.

In an unexpected twist, the second ghostface killer reveal in the highly anticipated Scream sequel was one menacing mother hellbent on revenge for the death of her equally psychotic son Billy Loomis. Mrs Loomis is extremely crafty in terms of how she goes about getting her vengeance. Following some plastic surgery, she creates a new identity for herself as Debbie Salt, the over eager news reporter who rubs Gale Weathers up the wrong way. Popping up at the crime scene following some of Windsor College’s gruesome murders she has the perfect cover, innocently “reporting” the incidents. Her plan is calculating as she intends to frame college student and partner in crime Mickey Altieri for all the murders while taking out Sidney Prescott and Gale Weathers in the process for their part in the death of her son from the first installment. Channeling Mrs Voorhees from Friday the 13th (1980), she is purely motivated by grief and revenge. Billy became a murderer after she abandoned him following her husband’s affair with Sidney’s mother and she continues his legacy. She blames Sidney heavily for the breakdown of her family unit and won’t stop until she has her dead. Mrs Loomis is remembered for killing fan favorite and movie buff Randy Meeks who met his maker from speaking poorly of Billy. When re-watching Scream 2, its clear at which moments feature Mrs Loomis donning the ghostface attire as she is left handed when she takes to the blade. She does not succeed in her thirst for revenge as she is killed by Cotton Weary who was framed for killing Sidney’s mother in the original film. Sidney shoots her in the head one last time to make sure she’s well and truly gone. Mrs Loomis was the first female killer in the Scream franchise making her the original Ghostface Girl before myself and Caitlyn!

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2. Margaret White, Carrie (1976)

• Played by Piper Laurie

You can’t create a list of Horror’s most psychotic mother’s without the inclusion of Margaret White. With origins in literature through Stephen King’s novel, Margaret White is the fanatical religious mother of telekinetic Prom Queen Carrie. The most memorable portrayal of this character comes in the shape of Brian De Palma’s 1976 adaptation. With an emphasis on anything to do with sex or the female body as a sin including Carrie experiencing a traumatic first period, Mrs White is the worst mother any teenager could possibly have. She raises Carrie with extreme restrictions, sheltering her from reality. When she becomes aware of Carrie’s abilities she behaves fearfully and deems her a “witch” frequently reading passages from the bible. She meets her demise following Carrie’s blood-soaked rampage at her prom. Carrie returns to her home broken and drained then Mrs White viciously stabs her, this causes Carrie to use her abilities to impale her mother in a symbolic killing mimicking a religious figure. Piper Laurie gives a somewhat hammy yet unsettling performance, this is due to her allegedly perceiving the script as a comedy but it does work well in creating an unhinged, mentally unstable character.  Due to her performance as Mrs White, Piper Laurie achieved some award nominations for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. Playing this insane mother ultimately relaunched her career.

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1. Mrs Voorhees, Friday the 13th (1980)

• Played By Betsy Palmer

Channeling Psycho’s Mrs Bates within the films aesthetics, the mother of the iconic, hockey masked wearing, machete wielding killer Jason Voorhees occupies the top spot. Mrs Voorhees is one of horror’s most unforgettable and unexpected twists. In a flip reverse of what Psycho achieved, Mrs Voorhees motivations stem from grief following the death of her son Jason at Camp Crystal Lake. She also has a split personality, bringing Jason through as she commits murder, slicing and dicing sexually charged youths. Like the majority of the mother’s on this list, Mrs Voorhees is overprotective and will do what it takes to shelter her child from harm. She was a teenage mother with a son born with  hydrocephalus (water on the brain), in order to protect him she shielded Jason from a regular childhood, denying him schooling. While working as a cook in Camp Crystal Lake in 1957, Jason was exposed to constant bullying and teasing. While unattended, Jason went swimming in the lake’s murky waters, unbeknown to the camp counselors who were busy with certain other matters. Jason subsequently drowned sending Mrs Voorhees on a murderous rampage seeking revenge on any teenager who sets foot in the aptly nicknamed “Camp Blood”. She reveals herself in 1979 following the camp’s re-opening and several other grisly murders. Final Girl Alice Hardy ultimately decapitates her ending her bloody reign of terror. Mrs Voorhees death is responsible for avenging Jason and beginning a franchise of  gory horror films with an emblematic serial killer at the helm. She has proven influential particularly in the construction of the previously discussed Mrs Loomis. Betsy Palmer initially dismissed the film not expecting anyone to watch it however she created a cult character and a highly memorable performance of a psychotic mother who certainly won’t let things lie when it comes to her only son. Click here for more on Friday the 13th (1980) from this site.

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Hope you enjoyed this countdown. Feel free to comment or tweet (@Hayleyr1989) on your favorite psycho mom’s! Also check out my latest debate with Caitlyn (Scared Sheepless) on Wolf Creek (2005) currently available on moviepilot.com.

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Hayley Alice Roberts.

Hayley’s Horror Reviews

 

Cult Retrospect: “Repo! The Genetic Opera” (2008)

**WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS**

“Zydrate comes in a little glass vial, And the little glass vial goes into the gun like a battery, And the Zydrate gun goes somewhere against your anatomy, And when the gun goes off, it sparks, and you’re ready for surgery”- Graverobber

“Repo! The Genetic Opera” (2008) is a deliciously daring cult film that has spawned an unexpected phenomenon in terms of fandom especially since it was received negatiely by some critics upon its release. The consensus on Rotten Tomatoes.com claimed the film was “Bombastic and Gross”, many like myself would argue, gross in a good way! The film was picked up through touring across America. Director Darren Lyn Bousman and the cast and crew took part in extensive Q&A’s in order to promote their stylish horror rock opera. The cult following the film has achieved is phenomenal, fans embrace “Repo!” in a similar vein to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975). The dedication and effort the fans put into purchasing or making costumes for screenings demonstrates how passionately they regard the film that in terms of mainstream cinema is an acquired taste!

The story is set in a futuristic world where an organ epidemic threatens to eliminate the human race. The only hope for survival lies in “GeneCo” an organisation that is able to provide organ transplants through a payment plan. However, in a surgery addicted world many fail to make these payments and GeneCo sends out a Repo Man who takes back what they cannot afford, “He will rip the still beating heart from your chest!”. The results of mass surgery addiction has also accumulated a black market that creates a powerful anaesthetic called “Zydrate” that emerges from the brains of the dead and is handed out by a mysterious figure known as the Graverobber (Terrance Zdunich) who partly acts as a narrator. Following the backstory the plot takes a more intimate turn as it shows the personal lives of the characters involved and how they are ultimately entwined. We meet Nathan (Anthony Head) a desperate widower and father with a dark past who searches for a cure for his teenage daughter Shilo’s sickness, a blood disease he believes he has caused, Shilo (Alexa Vega) refuses to be a victim and dreams of being able to live a normal life. Little does she know, Nathan is in fact the Repo Man by night which takes the film onto a whole new complex and emotional level. The Villain comes in the shape of GeneCo’s CEO Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino) who is dying of a terminal disease and does not trust his three kids Luigi (Bill Moseley), Pavi (Ogre) and Amber Sweet (Paris Hilton) to carry on his legacy. Rotti has manipulated Blind Mag (Sarah Brightman) GeneCo’s star opera singer who will soon lose her eyes if she does not agree to a final performance and give up the stage for Amber Sweet. In order to discover more about this intriguing plot that becomes more twisted as the film goes on, I advise you to seek it out immediately!

  As a musical, “Repo!” works on so many levels and has a little bit of everything, infectious rock anthems, beautiful, melodic opera pieces and a number of intriguing characters that push the plot along. It has the essence of a dark tragedy similar to other musicals of the same nature such as “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” and “Jekyll and Hyde” as it tells the tale of a man driven into madness and carnage due to unfortunate circumstance. It does play on the conventions of musical theatre by using a narrator as an outside POV and the typical characters such as the young female who searches for something more that what she’s confined to. The fact that its a hybrid along with the horror genre ramps up the visual squeamishness of the piece with the blood and gore, that looks great against the dark backdrop. But its not all grim as it sounds there’s a nice balance of black humour added in especially with the Largo brothers who argue over their future inheritance and a musical number where the Repo man sings as he’s removing an organ out of his victim and the victim still manages to join him in song! The film is very stylish, it cleverly uses a comic book approach in order to depict flashback sequences which is refreshing rather than just using a black and white effect and the actors, its also reminiscent of graphic horror novels such as “Creepshow”. The way the film is shot is incredible with sweeping camera work on the detailed world we are embroiled into. The gothic costumes really make the film stand out and highlight its uniqueness while encouraging fans to try out some extreme and out-of-this world looks. The main attraction however has to be the cast who deliver outstanding performances, Anthony Head showcases his talent for both singing and acting as he sticks his knife into this dark role, he manages to create a sense of fear and empathy at the same time and just defines this tragic figure through his performance. Sarah Brightman is sensational as always in her first film role, conveying her talent for opera and providing the film with some haunting and eerie music pieces. Alexa Vega plays Shilo with an innocence and vulnerability and also has some fun teenage moments of angst in there. Paris Hilton is surprisingly good in this, her singing fits in well and she clearly has fun with the role. Terrance Zdunich is appealing and menacing and brings in an air of mystery with the Graverobber, questioning can the audience and Shilo trust him?

Unique, mesmerizing, visually astounding and unforgettable, there is no doubt that “Repo!” will hold a special place in cult cinema for many years to come. Everything about it just works, the music, the acting, the emotional depth of the story. Watch it once and you’ll be addicted just like Amber Sweet is to surgery!

Hayley Alice Roberts.

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