5 Underrated Horror Villainesses

I’m back again to bring you 5 ladies in horror I feel deserve more love than they generally get. Villainesses, take it away!

5. Nancy (Fairuza Balk, The Craft)

Okay, okay, Nancy does get a fair amount of love from the horror community. But seriously, this witch, brought brilliantly to life by Fairuza Balk, is an idol for all us weirdo horror gals who came of age in the 90’s. So maybe she wasn’t a great friend in the end, and I admit, she ultimately proved to be a bit psychotic and megalomaniac. Doesn’t matter. She still rules.

4. Grand High Witch (Angelica Houston, The Witches)

How many of us out there LOVED this movie as kids and still do as adults?!? This lady is a major reason for that. The Witches absolutely helped mold me into the horror fan I am today, after seeing it at the tender age of 5. In her “human” disguise she was elegant, powerful, and compelling. In her actual skin she was super gross-looking and just plain freakin’ frightening. What I’m saying is, get you a lady who can do both! Minor character flaw? She was really into that whole, “extermination of children” thing.

3. Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates, Misery)

Annie is actually moving up in the world and seems to be getting more and more cred with horror fans, and I could not be more proud of the girl! Annie is a truly frightening and all-too-realistic example of what monsters human beings can be. She’s not a creature, not a demon. She’s one of us. Annie even blended into society for a while until she became a frost-bitten wilderness woman. Ms. Wilkes is a scary reminder of what one person is capable of doing to another. All it took for this obsessive fan was a little opportunity.

2. Minnie Castevet (Ruth Gordon, Rosemary's Baby)

Our beloved genre is notoriously over looked when it comes to winning (let alone) being nominated for all those big fancy schmancy Hollywood awards. But the powers that be could not ignore Ruth Gordan’s glittering performance in this film. In fact, she won both the Oscar and the Golden Globe in the Best Supporting Actress category for her portrayal of the manipulative, conniving, and frightening satanic cult devotee, Minnie Castevet. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, mix yourself up a nice cold tannis root smoothie and enjoy.

And who is my number one most underrated villainess of horror?!

1. Claudia (Kirsten Dunst, Interview with the Vampire)

This little blood sucker is trapped forever in the body of a child while her mind matures over the years. Not surprisingly, this makes for one twisted individual. Claudia is a selfish, obsessive, Machiavellian, remorseless little killer vampire in a satin bonnet. What’s not to love?

But wait! I do have a few women of note who deserve an honorable mention…

Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman, Orphan): Dear, sweet, misunderstood Esther. All she wanted was love. The only problem is, she’s completely fucking nuts. Esther does get a lot of attention for being a villainess, and she totally deserves it. I mean, just look at those EYES!! Spine tingling.

Laurie (Anna Paquin, Trick ‘r Treat): How can you not totally love this girl?! There’s really no way to talk about Laurie without spoiling the whole plot of her story in this beloved Halloween anthology. Anyway, let’s just say there’s more to Laurie and her posse than MEATS the eye. ← PUN.

Mombi (Sophie Ward, Return to Oz): Maybe this one technically isn’t horror, but I can’t be the only genre fan out there that absolutely loves this twisted movie. Mombi is a great princess villainess. But let us not forget the most frightening thing about her. She can take off her freakin’ HEAD and change it out for others in her collection. That my friends is the stuff of nightmares. Note: the above picture is my personal favorite noggin in her collection.

~ Sandra (@LilMsMnstr)

5 Dark Horror Movies About Motherhood

Arguably, there is no bigger transformation in this life than becoming a mother. I’ve heard friends describe it as having your heart running around outside of your body. That sounds terrifying, and there are tons of horror movies out there with themes of all aspects of motherhood. If you ask me, the real horror story is what happens to your body when you get pregnant (I know it’s a beautiful miracle, but it’s also pretty intense). With Mother’s Day coming up, I thought it would be fun to take a look at 5 horror movies with themes about motherhood, pregnancy, or the lack thereof:

1. Proxy (2013) Not Rated

Directed by Zak Parker, Written by Zak Parker and Kevin Donner

Proxy is the story of 3 people who have suffered the loss of a child. Whoof, heavy stuff. I’m going to be honest, it doesn’t get any lighter from here on out. I caught sight of Proxy when it was on Netflix, and I’m glad I gave it the two tries it required to enjoy this little treat. Premiering at the Toronto Film Festival in 2013, it received generally favourable reviews but it’s got one of those tricky endings that tends to polarize people.
At the film’s open we are introduced to Esther, quite visibly pregnant, being viciously attacked by an unknown assailant. Her unborn baby is killed in the attack and through her grief over the loss, Esther comes to join a support group. There she is received by like-minded people who may not be what they seem. I enjoyed the drama and suspense of Proxy, and relished in some scandalous ideas about the lengths people will go - and actions they can forgive - for the people they love. I recommend it, with an open mind.

2. Rosemary's Baby (1968) Rated R

Written (screenplay) and Directed by Roman Polanski

Of course, the first title that comes to my mind when I think of motherhood is Rosemary’s Baby. A well-known classic, and one of my favourite films of all time. Rosemary’s Baby tells the tale of a young couple moving into a new apartment building. Shortly after their occupancy, Rosemary becomes pregnant, and things start to spiral from there. Mia Farrow’s portrayal of a whisper-thin mother-to-be descending into paranoia at the hands of her neighbours is perfect. Her innocence and determination adds a plausibility to the idea of what could go on inside the mind of a young mother who listens to her sixth sense. Or her 666th sense. Get it? Heh heh. I definitely recommend this one, it’s a must.

3. Antichrist (2009) Not Rated

Written and Directed by Lars Von Trier

If you’ve never watched a Lars Von Trier movie, this one probably shouldn’t be your first. That being said, Antichrist has some of the strongest themes about motherhood I can think of. It wrestles with the darkest ideas of what it means to be a mom, and thoughts nobody wants to talk about. Of course, that’s only if your brain can get past the bizarre animal symbolism and graphic genital “situation”. Antichrist begins with another unfortunate child death (which takes place while the kid is unsupervised due to some passionate marital bliss). While recovering from this trauma, the couple heads to the woods where things get crazy. Mainly, she gets crazy. If we know anything by now, it’s that bad things happen in the woods. Charlotte Gainsbourg, as always, approaches her role with a fearlessness I can only admire. This is just a movie I can’t stop talking about. Watch it so I have somebody to talk to.

4. Grace (2009) Rated R

Written and Directed by Paul Solet

I have to admit, the cover of Grace used to give me the heebie jeebies at the video store (remember when we had video stores?) so I avoided it for a long time. Babies already kind of creep me out, so the idea of one that gets sustenance from a bottle full of blood is less than appealing. However, one viewing was enough to show me the other side of the “devoted parent.” Grace, of course, is the name of the unborn (and deceased) child inside of Madeline who insists on carrying to term. After the delivery, her baby comes back to life with an unusual appetite. For blood. Clearly Madeline is the type of doting mother who will go to the next level to care for her child, and the level after that. It’s gross guys, and it’s not that good. I don’t recommend it. But it’s a good creepy example of a deranged mother’s devotion to her child.

5. Inside (2007) Rated R

Written and Directed by Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury

Who doesn’t love a little bit of French extremism? Everything’s better in France. The food, the wine, the shocking and unrelenting gore. Inside is a story about a young pregnant woman who survives a devastating crash and is then harassed by a woman who wants her unborn child. Things are not going well for her. I’ve had this movie recommended to me several times, so I finally had the chance to check it out. I think we can say right off the bat there’s some questionable baby CGI happening reminiscent of an early 00s music video. Somehow this doesn’t completely detract from the film. I seem to remember watching a similar movie around Y2K with Daryl Hannah called Hide and Seek that was like an episode of some kid’s show, comparatively. The gore in this film is shocking, violent and intense. On the other hand, Inside is extremely suspenseful and I found myself suffering through the depravity for that reason alone. Do I recommend it? Sure, why not. At a brisk hour 22 minutes, it’s worth a shot.

I left out some obvious contenders that deserve a mention: Mommy Dearest, Psycho, The Brood, Lyle (internal link), and The Babadook (internal link) to name just a few. Not all of them carry themes as dark as the ones in the list above. Our relationships with our parents is often complicated, so I think we can all relate to the underlying ideas presented in these films whether we’re parents or not. After all, isn’t mankind’s basic instinct to reproduce? Well, not mine as long as I can still get poutine in the middle of the night without having to worry about leaving my child unattended.

Becky is one of The Bloodlust's newest contributors, hailing from the West Coast of Canada, where she resides with her pet rabbit. When she's not devouring horror movies, she spends her time playing video games, cooking, and going to local comedy shows. She enjoys body horror, psychological horror, and anything that makes her feel weird for a few days after.

~ Becky (@bexbz)