20 Greatest Horror Villains Of The 2020s (So Far)

Ari Aster's Beau Is Afraid is most certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but this absurdist psychological horror-comedy is nothing if not a bold attempt to do something wildly different with the genre.

And at the core of its story, the villain tormenting protagonist Beau (Joaquin Phoenix) is his mother Mona (Patti LuPone), who faked her own death at the start of the film and has been surreptitiously spying on her son ever since.

Mona is the prototypical mother from hell - an obnoxiously overbearing woman who resents Beau for not giving her enough attention. 

She's been listening in on his therapy sessions, has imprisoned his twin brother and father in her home, and then puts her own son on trial for his perceived slights against her.

Obviously the reality of the film becomes ever-more dubious once Mona shows up, but she's ultimately one of horror's all-time great examples of an abusive parent as genre villain.