Motherhood in Contemporary Horror: Some Notes and a Possible Classification

The article aims to investigate how the theme of motherhood is used and explored within the horror genre. Starting from the acquisitions of previous critics - in particular, The Monstrous-Feminine (1993) and Return of the Monstrous-Feminine (2022) by B. Creed and Maternal Horror Film (2013) by S. Arnold - we proceed to a re-examination of some fundamental works (The Brood, Dark Water, The Ring, Rosemary's baby, etc.) and to update the discussion by analyzing the most recent cinematic products (for example, The Babadook, Mama, La Llorona, Hereditary), integrating them with other media (novels and short stories, video games, TV series). At the same time, a classification of the different configurations that motherhood assumes within the horror narrative is proposed. In detail, the maternal image in horror can be viewed: positively (A), negatively (B) or ambiguously (C). The "good mother" (Arnold) can be present as a "savior" (A+), like in The Ring, or as a "victim" (A-), like in The Shining. The motif of the "bad mother" can be declined as: "monster-maker" (B+), for example in Psycho; “monster generatrix” (or anti-Maria) (B-), like in Rosemary's Baby, or as “monstered mother” (BB), further subdivided into “monster (mother)” (BB!), “false mother” (BB?) and “transformed mother” (>BB). Ambiguous motherhood is identified with the “mother-and-monster” (CA/B), like in Byzantium; or the "weird procreation", which can be "extra-maternal" (C*), like in Alien; “human” ([C]), like in Brood; or “inhuman” (/C/) like in Species or Army of the Dead.