Horror Movie Moms Who Scare Us Silly

Horror movies provide shock loving fans with thrills, chills and brimming buckets of blood. They overwhelm us with weird monsters, haunted houses, rampaging crazed killers and demonic forces. Surprisingly enough, some fright flicks also effectively blend scares with a motherly touch. Here's a few scary flicks showcasing the wildest, weirdest, or just plain spooky moms.

Psycho - Norma Bates

Everyone talks about Norman Bates when discussing Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 landmark thriller. Norman's mom, Norma Bates, may not actually appear in the living flesh in any particular scene, but she's definitely the thumping black heart and scary soul of the whole classic movie.

Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins are the engaging leads, and most of us know all about that infamous shower scene. In interviews, Leigh said she was so spooked out by the sequence, that she'd only take baths for years later. Norma Bates horrifies as a mom whose dysfunctional influence is so powerful, she can taunt her son with a manipulative authority beyond the grave. Listen closely to Perkins - dressed in full dreadful Norma mommy drag - during the spine chilling cellar scene. You'll hear Ms. Bates scream out in rage.

The Brood - Nola Carveth

Samantha Eggar plays Nola Carveth, a woman undergoing extensive psychoanalysis by a psychiatrist played by Oliver Reed.

Nola's extreme mental condition, combined with her doctor's weird therapeutic techniques, compel her to give birth to weird mutant babies. Eggar turns in an excellent, memorable performance as a mom who's kids are truly problem children - for all who encounter the deadly tykes. Written and directed by Canadian master of horror David Cronenberg, The Brood delivers a terror tale that ranks up there as one of the most jarring horror films of all time.

Dead Alive - Zombie Mom

Before Peter Jackson won Oscar acclaim for his movie versions of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings, he crafted a bizarrely comical zombie movie with a ravenous undead mother.

This 1992 New Zealand film is chock full of chuckles, gore, action, violence and enough wacky characters to supply a full blown TV series. Lead man and doting son Lionel Cosgrove will do anything to honor his mother - even when she's a bloodthirsty zombie. Jackson shows here just what a clever director he can be. He has the ability to go from the most wicked chilling sequence, to a zany comic strip of dismemberment. Some may find the frenetic change of narrative tone disconcerting, but much like similar genre fare such as Buffy: The Vampire Slayer or the Return of The Living Dead films, the movie works on many satisfying levels.

Rosemary's Baby - Rosemary Woodhouse

Rosemary (Mia Farrow) is a young wife, who's excited about moving into her new apt in New York City with her actor husband. Too bad the couple are moving into a dangerous and demonic dwelling.

Rosemary soon becomes pregnant, and it's her impending motherhood that's the narrative core of this classic chiller. Farrow excels in her role as a confused expectant mother trying to make sense of the weird happenings. The overly friendly neighbors, Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer, are definitely involved in the oddities. Gordon won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her sinister portrayal of Minnie, who's quick to suggest proper baby growing tips to Rosemary, like offering her a sickening looking nutrition shake. After Rosemary gives birth, and finally lays eyes on her offspring, it's both shocking for her and us. To quote one of my favorite lines from the movie - "He has his father's eyes."

Sources

www.imdb.com