Motherhood In Maternal Horror Movies

Mother is a very loose term used in society to address one’s maternal parent. Societal norms have often associated motherhood with acts of love, nurture, trust, and affection. Yet, not every woman can uphold those standards as the loving mother. Instead, motherhood can likewise revolve around abuse, possession, monstrosity, and hatred. This contradictory role of motherhood is often represented in maternal horror films, in which the mother, or the female figure, is the source of the dysfunctionality and horror within the family. Maternal horror films revolve around the “bad” mothers, who are violent, anti-social, abusive, oppressive, and dominating. The maternal figure of a “bad” mother challenges the traditional perspectives of a “good” mother,
In The Others, Grace’s children, Anne and Nicholas, suffer from a disease, in which they are photosensitive; the children cannot be exposed to more light than a lantern. The disease will cause them to break out in sores and blisters and suffocate, which will eventually become fatal. Due to the children’s condition, Grace garners a strong maternal desire to protect her children from any exposure to sunlight. In doing so, she prohibits her children from going outside and isolates them from the outside world by locking them inside the old, secluded mansion. Initially, Grace is characterized as a “good” mother; she is willing to isolate herself and her family from society in order to protect her children. At one scene, she even mentions that she will never endanger her children and is willing to die for her children’s safety. In fear of her children’s endangerment, she will always appear by their side when her children are screaming in terror. In spite of her excessive love and protection, her oppressive obsession of her children ultimately led her into becoming a “bad” mother, resulting in the maternal horror depicted in the