10 Scariest Mothers In Horror Movie History

Horror movie moms are some of the scariest women out there. When they're not helicopter-parenting their precious little monsters, they're tearing apart any potential threats like an angry bear, making for some seriously f*cked up children in the process. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and when you're dealing with knife-wielding lunatics, supernatural terrors, and savage monsters, you're going to get a particularly rotten bunch.

Of course, even the most ghastly of horror movie villains have a spot in their black hearts for their mothers, as almost all of us do. So on this finest of Sundays dedicated to celebrating those special parents the world over, let's take a look at the ones that defined the horror genre with their psychotic proclivities then, shall we?

After all, it's not just boys who's best friend is their mother, as plenty of these maniacal mommies prove...

Moms come in all shapes and sizes, and Andres Muschietti's Mama is no different. A spirit intent on reuniting with her daughter at any cost, this supernatural presence latches on to two very alive little girls with her very dead ghostly ways - and will stop at nothing to ensure that they join her in the afterlife.

With the incredible horror monster extraordinaire Javier Botet characterising this lingering entity, Mama's creep factor rockets up exponentially - with long limbs, distorted features, and a floating, underwater quality to her appearance that makes her presence all the more imposing.

Mama is terrifying both in appearance and in her sheer determination to capture the young lives she's devoted herself to, and shouldn't be underestimated in her otherworldly capability to literally scare people to death.

Oh, and I should probably mention the whole deal of her killing her biological child by leaping off a cliff with it that sparked her return as this malevolent spirit, so there's that whole mess to unpack in there too. Here's to you, Mama.