After a traumatic labor, Saga wakes to the cries of her newborn son in his bassinet on the other side of the room. While most watching will likely pick up on baby Kuura’s negative reaction to sunlight—I couldn’t stop thinking about the pain it would have caused Saga to get up and gather her son herself. The irony of thinking about her struggles is further amplified by the cries and almost animalistic moans and later-described hairy body that are all chalked up as “normal” and that the couple has a perfectly healthy babe. After all, everyone insists that every baby and every pregnancy… is different.

This Mother’s Day, honor the moms who haunt your nightmares. From Carrie’s fanatical matriarch to the chilling mothers of Pearl, Run Rabbit Run, Orphan, and more, these films dive deep into the horrors of maternal control, neglect, and obsession. Because sometimes, the scariest place to be is in your own family.

While slasher and monster movies often revolve around the hunter/hunted dynamic, gender-specific horror films, specifically those focusing on childbirth and pregnancy, add a unique twist with a visceral internal transformation narrative.

Celebrate Mother’s Day with a list of horror movies that examines monstrous mothers and their relationships with their children.