Mommy’s With The Maggots Now: Horror’s Most Unhinged Mothers [Watch]
Mother’s Day is the perfect day to show your mom your appreciation for all she does for you. But even if you have a great mom, there’s always that one thing they say that gets under your skin like no one else can. And that’s a specialty of horror moms. Though they may do a lot for their kids, they often go about it in the most unhinged ways possible, while leaving us with some utterly bonkers lines they’ve said to their kids.
Ellie in Evil Dead Rise
First up is the newest mother in horror in Evil Dead Rise. The movie follows two sisters reuniting for the first time in years, only for one of them, Ellie, a single mom with three kids, to become possessed. In the trailer, we see the children seek out their mother, portrayed by Alyssa Sutherland, only to find the possessed version of her saying:
“Mommy’s with the maggots now.”
This haunting purely because of how truly monstrous it is to say to a kid. And this isn’t the most unhinged line in the film (tit-sucking parasites, anyone?). Regardless, Ellie delivers some of this year’s most iconic horror lines of the year, speaking all of those thoughts many mothers wouldn’t dare utter aloud.
Annie Graham in Hereditary
Annie has to deal with a lot throughout the movie, from contending the loss of her own mother whom she wasn’t very close with, to losing her daughter (and blaming her son for it) to then getting involved with a coven who worships Paimon. The movie is wild, and honestly, Annie isn’t the worst mom. But, she is pretty selfish, and doesn’t consider that her son who accidentally killed his sister might be going through it, too.
“Don’t you swear at me, you little s**t! Don’t you ever raise your voice at me! I am your mother! You understand? All I do is worry and slave and defend you, and all I get back is that f**king face on your face! So full of disdain and resentment and always so annoyed! Well, now your sister is dead!”
As much as this statement is cruel to her son, and utterly bonkers to say when people are grieving, the trauma of everything is enough to make anyone act out of character, let alone behave like a remotely normal parent.
Mother Firefly in House of 1000 Corpses
Next up is the iconic mother from Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses, Mother Firefly portrayed by Karen Black. The movie follows her family as they torture and maim people who found themselves stranded near the Firefly house, and Mother Firefly is consistently supportive of her children’s actions. A dedicated mother who will do anything to protect their kids is a great mom by normal standards, but maybe not when your kid’s favorite pastime is to murder someone in the basement.
“Yeah, my baby boy gets shy around new people, but he’ll warm up to ya… especially the ladies…
He’s a real lady killer.”
We love a gruesome twist on a would-be innocent quote from any other mother. Ironically this is one of Mother Firefly’s most tame lines, but the context of her son being a literal ‘lady killer’ makes it all the more sinister.
Pamela Voorhees in Friday the 13th
In Friday the 13th (1980) Pamela Voorhees, portrayed by Betsy Palmer, was the mother of Jason, a young boy who drowned at Camp Crystal Lake, which was abruptly closed following his death. However, when the camp re-opens counselors who Voorhees blamed for her son’s death wind up dead. The movie is a classic, and Voorhees seems to feel spurred on by the voice of Jason to attain revenge. Initially mimicking Jason, she responds immediately.
“Kill her Mommy, Kill her! Don’t let her get away Mommy, don’t let her live.
I won’t Jason, I won’t”
Conversing with her dead son isn’t the most normal thing for a mother to do, but neither is avenging your kid by killing off camp counselors who had nothing to do with his death. As one of the most memorable villains in horror, Pamela Voorhees is a strange example of how powerful a mother’s love can be, no matter the cost.
Margaret White in Carrie
No matter the version Carrie you watch, Margaret White is consistently an awful mother. But Piper Laurie does take the cake in the original film as Carrie’s abusive and delusion mother. She lies to Carrie, makes her feel worthless, and locks her in a cupboard all in the name of God. One of the worst things she does is claim that having a period is a sin. And in true Margaret White fashion, she doesn’t hesitate to blame Carrie.
“And the Lord visited Eve with a curse, and the curse was the Curse of Blood!”
This is probably one of the worst things she does to Carrie, blaming her for things there is literally no way she can control. How nonsensical it is, is what makes the line utterly bonkers, but above all, the most iconic line Margaret uses on Carrie is:
“Go to your closet and pray.”
The prayer closet is seemingly normal in their house, and her abuse towards Carrie is endless. What draws us most to this mother of horror is how much her actions provide Carrie with a motive. Unlike the other mothers on this list, there is no logic to her monstrousness. She is not possessed, grieving, insane like her kids, or looking for vengeance. Margaret is just a human, thinking abusing her kid is right, and that’s what earns her the crown of the greatest (awful) mom of horror.
Mothers in horror are usually awful. If they’re not to blame directly for the horrors then they are to blame for being too passive to help. They are some of the greatest characters of the genre. But, they also remind us that even if our moms aren’t so great, we don’t always have to end up like them. Or they’ll remind you of how great your mom truly is. Whether you avoid the holiday completely or embrace it by taking your mom to see Evil Dead Rise, Happy Mother’s Day!
Categorized:Editorials
