Good mothers are never the ones we remember, are they?
And why is that? The overbearing but well-meaning mother is a classic trope across genres, and has given way to many heartwarming scenes in various movies and TV shows over the years.
But what happens when you flip the trope on its head? What happens when the one woman you were supposed to be able to trust, no matter what, turns out to be the ultimate villain of your story?
You get some of the most memorable performances in movie history, that’s what.
5. Pamela Voorhees in Friday the 13th (1980)
The iconic villain from the very first of the Friday the 13th franchise. While most people know the villain of the franchise as the hockey-masked, machete wielding killer Jason, true horror fans know that the OG villain was, in fact, not Jason, but his mother. So if Ghostface calls, don’t make Drew Barrymore’s mistake.
Pamela Voorhees clocks in at the bottom of this list because objectively, she wasn’t a bad mother. She lost her son, then went on a killing spree on the poor, too-horny-for-their-own-good counselors of Camp Crystal Lake in revenge. The role was played to perfection by the late, great Betsy Palmer, who famously read the script and said, “What a piece of shit.” Only to then take the role which became iconic in the horror lexicon because—wait for it—she needed a new car.
4. Margaret White in Carrie (1976)
If you grew up in the Bible Belt, you knew that one oddball kid with overly religious parents. Or, in this case, an overly religious mother. Margaret White in the original Carrie was played by Piper Laurie, who originally turned down the role because she couldn’t take the character seriously believing her to be way too over-the-top. It wasn’t until she decided to look at the script through a comic lens that she agreed to take part, and thank God she did.
Laurie’s performance made this character one of the most significant villains in modern horror. It even earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Written by Stephen King in his debut novel, Margaret White takes religious extremism and puts a bow on it. Her emotional abuse of her telekinetic daughter, Carrie, stems from her God-fearing faith, and includes horrors such as locking Carrie in a closet, beating her, and ultimately, trying to kill her for having “Satan’s power.”
Margaret White’s death serves as one of the most satisfying “ding dong, the witch is dead” moments in horror movies—notably due to Piper Laurie’s portrayal of her death as a spiritual orgasm. Definitely one for the books…and the nightmares.
3. Catherine de Medici in La Reine Margot (1994)
Catherine de Medici holds a unique spot on this list as the only real-life historical figure. However, the portrayal of the Queen Regent in the 1994 movie, based on the 1845 novel by Alexandre Dumas, takes significant liberties with historical events. The book is considered to be heavily propagandized against the Valois family of France, and therefore is not considered to be in line with historical record. But let’s focus on the movie.
Played by 1960’s Italian sex symbol, Virna Lisi, Catherine is one of the most profoundly disturbing mothers on this list. The movie follows the marriage of her daughter, Margot, which led up to the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572, which Catherine herself orchestrated. But that’s not all. She also manipulates all four of her children, it’s implied she’s in an incestuous relationship with her favorite son, Henri, and pimps out her ladies in waiting for information to progress her agenda.
Lisi delivers a chilling performance as Catherine, and leaves the audience both horrified and mesmerized. The film won multiple awards in the foreign film circuit, including landing Lisi a César Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1995.
2. Eleanor Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
If Virna Lisi left foreign audiences horrified, Angela Lansbury nailed Americans in a coffin of their own propaganda in 1962. The Manchurian Candidate is objectively the most controversial film on this list. Released in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962 and ahead of the Kennedy assassination in 1963, the movie follows a chilling story of foreign interference and brainwashing in the midst of the Cold War.
Angela Lansbury’s performance of Eleanor Iselin is one of the greatest villain performances in modern American film. Portraying an alleged conservative wife to a Senator, it becomes clear throughout the movie that she’s the real power behind the throne of her idiot husband. Her son Raymond, following the Korean War, is revealed to be a sleeper agent for the USSR, brainwashed and guided by his “American handler,” who ultimately turns out to be his own mother.
The reveal of Lansbury’s Communist roots is one of the most chilling scenes I’ve ever seen in a film. She reveals that Raymond was chosen as the sleeper agent to ensure her cooperation with the Communist agenda, and vows to take revenge for the way they stole his soul once the Presidential candidate is assassinated and she is able to take power behind her husband. What’s so profoundly disturbing about this scene and Lansbury’s performance is that she truly believes that she’s doing right, cementing herself as a powerful force who cannot be reasoned with.
One thing’s for sure: after watching this film, you’ll never see a deck of cards the same way again.
1. Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest (1981)
Who else was number one going to be?
Faye Dunaway’s performance in Mommie Dearest is iconic. Everyone knows “no wire hangers.” Based on the 1978 memoir by Christina Crawford, Mommie Dearest portrays the story of Joan Crawford and her parenting of her adopted daughter, Christina. The original memoir came out one year after the death of Joan Crawford, and rocked cultural history for its portrayal of alleged child abuse perpetrated by a beloved and famous actress.
While Eleanor Iselin may seem to take the cake for bad mothers on this list, Joan Crawford and Faye Dunaway’s performance lands the number one spot for one reason. It’s relatable. Many critics alleged that the portrayal of abuse was too over the top, but I would argue that’s what makes it relatable. Abuse often is over the top, and victims rarely want to talk about it for fear of sounding crazy.
Growing up in a movie star’s home aside, the story of emotional and physical abuse is incredibly common, and many people understand exactly how Christina felt growing up. Many people have similar stories, which is why—despite the fact that the movie is a camp classic and critically bombed—I believe that audiences are kinder to the film than critics.
The over-the-top performance by Dunaway was lambasted, but honestly, she’s amazing. She portrays Joan Crawford’s public persona incredibly faithfully, while also making an attempt to add pathos and make Crawford human, rather than a caricature. And despite the inconsistencies in Christina Crawford’s story in the years since the movie was released, the film remains a landmark in the cultural lexicon of classic Hollywood stars.
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