Fortunately, the groan-worthy female villains of horror are far less common than the gripping and multi-faceted female villains of the genre. One of the most iconic female villains of all time is Mrs. Voorhees (Betsy Palmer) of Friday the 13th (1980). She’s often overlooked in the grand scheme of things in favor of her son, Jason, who reigns as the villain in subsequent films in the franchise. But in an over-the-top, violent early slasher full of seemingly senseless murder, Mrs. Voorhees reasserts sense. Kind of.

Her motivations for revenge are fueled by the fact that camp counselors’ neglect led to her son’s death. These motivations get flimsy when she starts taking it out on people who weren’t even remotely involved in the incident. But I have no qualms with an unhinged villain, especially when it's a distraught mother who takes things too far. And the backstory tying the brutality to an act of a mother’s love is so fresh and intriguing that it’s a concept pointedly referenced in Scream 2 with Mrs. Loomis.

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The Chinese film Dream Home (2010) taps into this same sense of familial love turned twisted obsession. Cheng Lai-sheung (Josie Ho) had a difficult childhood, watching her family and friends being evicted from their homes so developers could build something grander and more expensive. Her obsession with a “dream home” comes with her initial vow to one day buy an apartment for her parents so they never have to worry. Unfortunately, illness takes her mother before that promise is fulfilled. And financial trouble alongside her father’s own failing health begins to take its toll.

The price on her dream home has been raised as she arrives to finalize the deal, and there’s no reasonable way she can afford it. Perhaps capitalism is the true villain of this film… but also Lai-sheung, since she starts to murder her would-be neighbors in order to lower the value of her ideal apartment.

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No matter how brutal or unjustified the actions of these killers turn out to be, this driving force of “love” is very interesting. At the heart of the concept of femininity is the idea that women are natural caretakers—warm, loving, and nurturing. Having a film turn that on its head and weaponize it is an intriguing subversion.

Female Villainy in Horror Movies

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