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The Best Horror You Can Stream on Mother’s Day 2025

Some of my favorite unsung heroes in the horror genre are murderous mothers. These women practically yell, “fuck those kids” and set out to show us what real terror looks like. We have many like, Mrs. Voorhees in Friday the 13th (1980), Ruth Harker in Longlegs, and, of course, Nancy Loomis in Scream 2. However, some devious moms take their work more seriously than others. Some of the ladies in this genre understand that anyone can catch the business end of a knife at any time. Each of them have proven that blood is thicker than water because they have tried to kill their own spawn. I am highlighting the murder mamas who were not afraid to get their hands dirty, even when it came to their own flesh and blood.

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Some of my favorite unsung heroes in the horror genre are murderous mothers. These women practically yell, “fuck those kids” and set out to show us what real terror looks like. We have many like, Mrs. Voorhees in Friday the 13th (1980), Ruth Harker in Longlegs, and, of course, Nancy Loomis in Scream 2. However, some devious moms take their work more seriously than others. Some of the ladies in this genre understand that anyone can catch the business end of a knife at any time. Each of them have proven that blood is thicker than water because they have tried to kill their own spawn. I am highlighting the murder mamas who were not afraid to get their hands dirty, even when it came to their own flesh and blood.

The Best Horror Movies to Stream this Mother’s Day

The Babadook (2014)

Essie Davis as Amelia Vanek

Where You Can Watch: AMC+, Plex, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, and Shudder

A single mother and her child find themselves isolated and paranoid when an eerie children’s book manifests in their home. I do not think it is a coincidence that one of the most iconic horror movies about motherhood this millennium has our first murder mama. Amelia’s son, Samuel, is a lot to deal with, even if she was not actively grieving. So, it makes sense that her inner monster would want to go after him. It is just one more reason why that monster could not be so easily defeated and will remain with them as they figure out how to function. We support this monster mommy even if we wish she had not killed the cute little puppy.

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Carrie (1976)

Piper Laurie as Margaret White

Where You Can Watch: MGM+, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, and Tubi

An abused and bullied teen girl unleashes her telekinetic powers after her classmates humiliate her at prom. As awful as Carrie’s classmates were, no one was crueler to her than her own mother. Margaret White is a prime example of sometimes a child’s first bully being their parent. Aside from the constant verbal attacks and forcing her own unchecked mental illness onto her daughter, she also stabs Carrie in the back during the worst night of her life. This is why no one mourns this evil woman while wishing Carrie had survived this tragic ending. 

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Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Alyssa Sutherland as Ellie

Where You Can Watch: Max

A woman’s attempt to reconnect with her sister and sister’s kids is cut short by malicious flesh-possessing demons. Ellie is easily one of the best murder mommies of the decade thus far. She is terrifying, funny, and gruesome, and she is very serious about killing each of her kids, no matter how young they are. Mommy might be sleeping with the maggots now, but she will not be the only one if she gets her way. We have no choice but to stan the Mother Of All Deadites in Lee Cronin’s entry into this beloved franchise.

Hereditary (2018)

Toni Collette as Annie Graham 

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Where You Can Watch: Netflix

A grieving family discovers that their recently deceased matriarch has set sinister plans in motion for them. We all know Toni Collette was robbed of an Oscar for this murder mama. However, what some people forget is that even before the evil had Annie climbing the ceilings and chasing down her last living kid, she tried to commit filicide. Part of Peter’s damage is that he remembers when his mom tried to set him on fire while sleepwalking. Hereditary also stands out because Annie is not the only deadly mom in the movie because we know she picked up the torch from her mother. So, all the matriarchs are scary in this family.

Us (2019)

Lupita Nyong’o as Adelaide Wilson / Red

Where You Can Watch: VOD

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A family vacation is disrupted by a family of doppelgangers. Much like Hereditary, we have a couple of deadly divas running around. We also have an award-worthy lead performance(s) that was ignored by The Academy. However, that did not stop Lupita Nyong’o from playing two of my favorite murder mamas in the genre. While Red is justifiably seeking revenge and Adelaide is in defense mode, both versions of their kids are in danger. The kids are even being encouraged to live their Battle Royale realness by their matriarchs. While moms are not supposed to pick favorites, Adelaide and Red chose their respective versions of their kids and were a little too carefree with the ones they did not give birth to. 

Please keep in mind that these are only some of the many hardworking mothers who keep the genre scary. They might never get the respect they are owed because people seem to favor male villains exclusively in horror. However, we love to see deadly women causing carnage because we celebrate women’s rights and wrongs!

Did your favorite murder mama make the list? Make some noise in the comments, and let us know!

Sharai is a writer, horror podcaster, freelancer, and recovering theatre kid. She is one-half of the podcast of Nightmare On Fierce Street, one-third of Blerdy Massacre, and co-hosts various other horror podcasts. She has bylines at Dread Central, Fangoria, and Horror Movie Blog. She spends way too much time with her TV while failing to escape the Midwest. You can find her most days on Instagram and Twitter. However, if you do find her, she will try to make you watch some scary stuff.

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The Best Horror You Can Stream on Shudder in November 2025

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Halloween season is over, and many streamers have forgotten about us horror kids. While they take their 11-month hiatus from the genre, we can be grateful that we still have an app that cares. We are so lucky that Shudder remains that girl year-round. Whether you’re finishing their new original show Guts & Glory, catching up on The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans, or running at some of their deep cuts like I am, Shudder has your best interests at heart. As usual, she has quite a few titles fighting for our attention. Which is why I am here with five titles I think should be at the top of all of our watch lists this November. So, cancel your holiday plans and pick up your remote because we have got horrifying things to watch.

The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month

Habit (1995)

An alcoholic unwittingly enters into a relationship with a succubus in New York City. If you ever wondered what Larry Fessenden was getting up to in his youth, you need to see this ’90s gem. I lucked out and caught it at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival last year, and I lived my best life. While watching it on the small screen will not be the same, I plan to hit play anyway. Mostly because I love to see 1990s succubi leaving their mark on men…and also the horror genre. Shudder is also adding The Last Winter and Depraved, so we can spend a whole day with Uncle Larry’s work.

Sew Torn (2024)

A seamstress happens upon a failed drug deal and steals a briefcase. She soon finds herself caught in a deadly situation where all roads lead to death. I caught Sew Torn at SXSW last year and have been wondering what happened to it. So, I am very happy this odd little bird has found her way to Shudder. I cannot wait to make my friends who are looking for something cute and deadly watch. I knew nothing when I hit play on this, and I encourage you to know as little as possible, too. I fear I have already written too much in this blurb to be completely honest. 

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You can watch Sew Torn on November 1st.

The Retreat (2021)

A couple goes on a pre-wedding retreat and unwittingly becomes targets of a group of serial killers. We have seen too many movies about retreats, and I thought this one would be more of the same. This title does not completely reinvent the wheel, but it does set itself apart within this oversaturated subgenre. The Retreat is a surprisingly fun and tense little thriller that feels made for the winter watches. Come for the lesbian characters leading the film, and stay for the violence. I also encourage you to check it out while it is on Shudder, because it is usually on apps with ads.

You can watch The Retreat on November 1st.

The Creep Tapes (Season 2)

Peachfuzz returns with more tapes, chaos, kills, and WTF moments. Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice have reentered the TV arena and are making things weird again. If award shows were real, this duo would be leading the Emmys charge. I saw the first three episodes, and Josef/Peachfuzz is still the serial killer after our own hearts. Our Wolfie is still cutting up (literally and figuratively) in the most amazing ways. Guest stars in danger this season include David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil), Katie Aselton (The League), and Robert Longstreet (The Haunting of Hill House). 

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You can watch The Creep Tapes (Season 2) on November 14th.

Krampus (2015)

A kid accidentally summons demons during the holidays in this horror comedy. Krampus remains one of the top-tier Christmas horror titles for me. It is also my favorite Michael Dougherty film. Not only because it has the star power of Adam Scott and Toni Collette, either. This movie is wicked, and even the kids are in danger. I do not have many holiday horror movies I revisit every year, but Krampus is one of the very few. It still holds up, and I cannot wait to rewatch it with a festively boozy beverage. 

You can watch Krampus on November 15th.

Those are a few reasons I am grateful for Shudder this holiday season. While the rest of you are fighting with your family and friends, I will be parked in front of my TV. You can have your turkey because I would rather gorge myself on episodes of The Creep Tapes anyway.

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Let me know what Shudder shenanigans you have got your little eye on. I am nosy and want to make sure I am not missing anything on my favorite streamer.

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The Best Horror You Can Stream on Netflix in November 2025

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The year is winding down, and I don’t know about you, but I am trying to pack in as many 2025 horror movies as I can. Is this because I love making end-of-the-year lists? Yes. Is it because I am an unhealed overachiever? Also, yes. So, I am assuming some of you are also cruising the streamers to see what you may have missed. While Netflix has had my favorite new slasher Heart Eyes for a bit, and I have mentioned that in previous streaming guides, they also have other new horror titles to show you.

I do not talk about them as much because I did not have a good time with them. However, that does not mean you won’t enjoy some of these titles. That’s why I am taking the high road and finding something to be grateful for about each of them. That way, you will know there is a silver lining if you do watch them. Allow me to help you figure out what to prioritize this month and what to skip. Check out this chaotic Netflix hitlist below! 

The Best Movies to Stream on Netflix This Month

28 Years Later (2025)

A group of survivors on a small island has built a fortress to protect them from the rage virus. However, a young boy discovers what is really outside the walls of their community and sets off to find a cure for his sick mother. We all loved 28 Days Later, and some of us liked 28 Weeks Later. So, 28 Years Later was never going to live up to the hype with almost thirty years of anticipation. While I didn’t love it, I did enjoy seeing Danny Boyle helm another zombie installment. What he does in the subgenre is top-tier, and we are welcome (even if the script left me wanting more). That might have gotten buried in all the talk about the dicks seen in the movie, though.

Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025)

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A group of girls competing for prom queen starts disappearing, leaving the underdog to figure out what is happening to her competition. I had a lot of thoughts about this lackluster installment in Netflix’s Fear Street adaptations. As someone who grew up reading Fear Street books and wanting to adapt them myself, I do not understand how this movie came out so badly. Which made it hard to find something nice to say about this title. However, the soundtrack slaps, and it is not the soundtrack’s fault that it was wasted on a low-energy bottom-tier slasher. So, if you hit play on this, you can at least look forward to hearing some retro bangers selected by music supervisor Nora Felder. If you are familiar with her work on Yellowjackets and Stranger Things, you know Felder does not miss.

Maa (2025)

To battle a demon’s curse, a mother transforms into the legendary goddess Kali. As usual, Netflix did not advertise an international horror movie that seemed to have some potential. If they had told us Maa was an Indian Hindi-language mythological horror movie, most people who yell for intersectionality and originality would have run at it. Instead, we had to find out about it months later while looking for something we hadn’t already seen on the app. This movie is too long, and I cannot say it is good by any stretch of the imagination. However, it also made me realize how little I know about the goddess of destruction. If you are a nerd like me, this might lead you down a cool rabbit hole. You can also say you gave a view to a horror movie starring Brown people. Who knows, maybe you could be one of the few who enjoy this chaotic film.

Until Dawn (2025)

A group of friends find themselves trapped in a time loop where they keep getting killed in gruesome ways. I love the video game and was so bummed this adaptation was so bad. However, the practical effects are very cool and should be celebrated more. I think the stuff that the SFX team pulled off might be the only reason to watch the movie personally. I’m happy the actors whose work I enjoy got paid, and that’s another positive thing I can say. However, if we want to see young people in deadly time loops, we have so many movies that do it better. Excuse me as I look right at Happy Death Day and all of the movies that have tried to copy her.

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Ziam (2025)

A Muay Thai fighter battles through a zombie apocalypse to save the woman he loves. Netflix fumbled the advertising for this one too, because who doesn’t want to see a Thai zombie film? So, I was excited to watch it, but then sad I did not like it. However, I think this one is on me. It is an action-horror with a lot of heartfelt moments, and that’s not my bag. I wanted more violence and zombie action because I am a broken and heartless ghoul. So, Ziam might be the only movie on this list that does not deserve my bombastic side eye. I am waiting for other people to watch it and let me know if they have a better time with it, though. 

While I was not the audience for these movies, I am assuming some of you will dig them. Worst-case scenario, you cross off a few more 2025 horror movies and have something to talk about at Friendsgiving. Happy Horrordays! I will see myself out now…

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