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.