Out this week, The Babadook explores the relationship that deepens between a mother and her son after the death of the family patriarch. The boy's primal fear of a monster in the house is bad enough, but soon the mother discovers that something even more sinister is afoot.
The protective maternal instinct is often put to the test in horror movies, no matter if the child is under attack -- or the one doing the attacking! That's especially the case in a handful of well-made, disturbing horror movies gathered below.
Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
Kristi comes to believe that her home is haunted, though her husband Dan is slow to agree. Worried about their young son, Hunter, Kristi talks to her sister Katie (from the first Paranormal Activity) and learns about their shared history with a demon. The survival of mother and son is definitely threatened.
Mother's Day (2010)
Dear old mom (Rebecca DeMorney) is a very crafty woman who has raised her three boys in a criminal lifestyle. Oh, her daughter has a similar mind-set, but make no mistake, it's the relationsip between mother and her sons that makes this home-invasion thriller stand out.
Friday the 13th (2009)
By showing the death of Pamela Voorhees early, the remake quickly establishes her son Jason's deadly motivation for killing modern-day teenagers who show up at Crystal Lake. The relationship between Jason and his mother may have been short-lived, but clearly their bond was very, very powerful, giving him a potent taste for revenge.
Halloween (2007)
In Rob Zombie's reimagined version, Michael Myers' mother remains initially supportive of him even after he slaughters her ex-boyfriend, his older sister and his sister's boyfriend. Although the mother-son relationship ends unhappily here, in the sequel it's revived and becomes the driving force for everything that happens.
Psycho (1960)
Norman Bates' deep love for his mother means that he will do anything she wants, no matter how awful and frightening the consequences, even if that involves the permanent removal of unwanted Bates Motel guests.
