The Castrating Mother

In recent years, feminist film theory has increasingly focused on the representation of the mother–child relationship, particularly in the woman’s film and maternal melodrama. Issues explored include repression (The Old Maid), sacrifice (Stella Dallas), incestuous desire (Mildred Pierce) and maternal incorporation (Now Voyager). Relationships in the maternal melodrama are almost always between mother and daughter; it is to the horror film we must turn for an exploration of mother–son relationships. The latter are usually represented in terms of repressed Oedipal desire, fear of the castrating mother and psychosis. The monstrous mother is central to a number of horror texts. Her perversity is almost always grounded in possessive, dominant behaviour towards her offspring, particularly the male child. Psycho, Fanatic and Friday the 13th represent the over-possessive mother as a dangerous psychotic. The association of the mother with birds of prey who attack children is not unique to Psycho.