The Top 5 Fiercest Final Mothers Of Horror
Sharai Bohannon
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Sometimes women over the age of 28 are cast in movies. It’s a very rare and special thing. Sometimes when this happens in the genre, we end up with some pretty fierce mothers. Whether we’re talking Mommie Dearest, Us, or the Serial Mom herself we have a ton of tough mothers that make it to the end of the movie.
A lot of them face killers, demons, and ghosts with the same energy they give their first husbands. Some are so tough that they become the villain in these movies. Wherever they land, we love to see it because it ends in a helluva ride for us as an audience.
The Babadook (2014)
Amelia, Played By Essie Davis
Where You Can Watch: Shudder
The first time I saw this movie, I assumed her kid was the monster and was waiting for her to end him. He won’t let Amelia have a moment alone. He’s loud, he’s clingy, he’s the real villain and I will not be changing my mind. This kid is so annoying that I wanted to warn the Babadook to pick a different house when it revealed itself. While Amelia and her monster are one of our favorite meditations on grief in pop culture, the ultimate show down that ends their unsettling dance is where it’s at. No other mom on this list has to make so many self-realizations, and abruptly shift coping mechanisms, on the fly without a therapist. Like, how many of us would realize we’re our own monsters and then just shrug? Amelia might be the mother of the list and mother of the year.
The Exorcist (1973)
Grace MacNeil, Played By Ellen Burstyn
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
Grace doesn’t get a battle with her demons like everyone else on the list. However, that’s because her demon is an actual demon living inside her daughter! She gets the church involved once she realizes this is above science. She also continues living in the house with her demon daughter, and at one point leaps on the bed as the demon shakes it. Could never be me and that’s one of the many reasons I choose to not be a mother. Grace also looks at all of the bodies that have accumulated at this house and moves them out the second Beelzebub vacates her spawn. Kudos to Grace for making the smart decision that most people don’t make in The Conjuring Universe. So while Grace isn’t kicking ass, she’s possibly the boldest final mom on the list. That or she has no survival instincts and lucked out.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
Laurie Strode, Played By Jamie Lee Curtis
Where You Can Watch: Paramount+ and Pluto TV
No matter which Halloween timeline is your favorite, Laurie Strode becomes a mother who is over Michael’s shit. This woman is understandably traumatized and living in fear from her brother and the wig they made her wear in Halloween II. In the H20 world, she has a son (played by a hot Josh Hartnett in a haircut that is not the moment) that thinks she’s overreacting. He starts singing a different tune though once Mikey interrupts his shenanigans and starts slicing his friends up. This is the first time we see a gun-toting Laurie realize that being a victim isn’t going to make Michael go away. She kills her brother numerous times in the grudge match that is the ending of this film. Each time is a sight to behold and I’m still sad this version of Laurie didn’t get what she was owed in the next film.
Run (2020)
Diane, Played By Sarah Paulson
Where You Can Watch: Hulu
Diane is the most unhinged mother on this list. She has lied to her supposed daughter about so many things that the girl doesn’t know who she is, if she’s really sick, or what medications she’s being fed. She terrorizes a kid that doesn’t even belong to her in so many ways that we kind of don’t want to see her live at the end. Diane is also not one to be backed into a corner as she takes out a mailman in broad daylight and eventually pulls a gun in a hospital when they try to stop her from kidnapping Chloe for the second time!
We can’t help but note the parts of this story seemingly lifted from the life of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. However, it’s not as blatantly “borrowed” as The Act which turned her full story into a mini-series without her permission.
Slumber Party Massacre (2021)
Trish Deveraux, Played By Schelaine Bennett
Where You Can Watch: Syfy
Trish starts this remake off as a final girl. So, we shouldn’t be surprised that she comes back to be a final mother in the end. Not only does she survive danger twice, but between these two run-ins raises a final girl. Trish was too busy handing down survival skills to worry about cake recipes and we stan! Also, really here for her coming back to kick the ass of the woman who raised the monster she fought in her youth. Sign me up for her group sessions because I also want to throw hands at the mothers of my enemies.
Did your favorite final mom make it onto the list? Let me know at @misssharai.
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