2 of the best and worst Dads in horror movies/series (and 2 we have mixed feelings about)

It’s June, and that means Father’s Day is on its way. Like all other people in the world, Dads can be a mixed bunch, especially when you delve into horror. When you are a child, your parents can be nurturing and loving…or they can cause lifelong trauma. So let’s take a look at some great fathers in horror, as well as some horrific ones. Then, for good measure, let’s talk about a couple when just can’t decide on.

Best:

Hugh Crain (The Haunting of Hill House) – The Haunting of Hill House series on Netflix is a great horror series, largely because of the family story it contains. When the Crain family – Hugh, Olivia, and their children Stephen, Theo, Nell, Luke, and Shirley – moved into Hill House, they intended to fix it up and sell it for a profit. At the time, Hugh and Olivia were loving, nurturing parents to their perfectly normal children.

But the ghosts and past trauma at the house took a toll on each of the family members, and ultimately Olivia didn’t make it out alive. She was affected by the negative energy and malevolent forces, and basically went crazy on their last night, even attempting to poison Luke and Nell. Hugh was able to save his kids, and ended up being charged with his wife’s murder.

Until the final episodes of the series, he keeps the house’s secrets, all because he wants to protect his kids. Both of the actors portraying Hugh (Henry Thomas as the younger Hugh, and Timothy Hutton as the older Hugh) project his ferocious love for the family.

Seok-woo (Train to Busan) – In the beginning of this South Korean zombie film, Seok-woo is a very distracted father. He just can’t seem to connect with his young daughter Su-an, misses her recitals, and buys her the same birthday gift he got her the year before.

Though he has full custody, he agrees to take her to see her mother in Busan, and all hell breaks loose while they are on their way via train. But when it really matters, Seok-woo’s instincts and love for his child kick in 100%, and he fights viciously to keep her safe. In the end, he makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Su-an.

Who are the worst Dads in horror?

Worst:

Jack Torrance (The Shining) – Ugh, is there a worse dad in horror movie’s than Jack? While Jack Nicholson gives a killer performance as Jack Torrance, he is just not a good person from the beginning of the film to the end. Plus, he tries to kill his wife and child multiple times!

Stephen King famously disliked Kubrick’s version of his novel, mostly because there was no shift in Jack’s character, as there was in the book – in the film, he was self-centered and disturbed, and just became worse when the Overlook Hotel began to take him over. I tend to agree with that assessment.

Jerry (The Stepfather) – Though not technically a biological father, Jerry definitely fits the bill where very bad horror movie Dads are concerned.

We know in the very beginning of the movie that Jerry is a really bad guy, since we see him nonchalantly walking out of the house where his murdered family members lie. But he soon replaces them with a new family, Susan and her teenage daughter Stephanie.

He manipulates his wife and step-daughter, and ultimately ends up trying to kill them – leaving a trail of bodies behind him as he slaughters anyone who seems to be catching on to him. Terry O’Quinn gives a chilling performance as Jerry.

Mixed Feelings:

Terrence (The Black Phone) – Boy, Terrence was a tough one. He was no doubt an abusive father (the scene where he is beating his daughter Gwen was uncomfortably realistic and horrifying), but deep down, he was desperately trying to save her from the fate that befell his late wife.

Gwennie had psychic visions, the same kind that eventually caused her mother to unalive herself, so he practiced very tough love, not knowing what else to do. In the end, he finally tells his children he loves them, and promises to be a better father.

Louis (Pet Sematary) – You really can’t blame Louis for attempting to bring the family cat, Church, back to life after he was hit by a truck. He had been told by Jud that the Mi’kmaq burial ground had the power to revive the dead, and he wanted to spare his daughter Ellie from the grief of losing Church.

But after seeing how different Church was when he was returned, he still made the same decision when his little boy Gage was hit by a truck right in front of him. And yes, grief and trauma often lead to bad decisions, but that experiment went horribly, horribly wrong.

When the re-animated Gage killed Louis’s wife Rachel, Louis makes the very same, very bad decision. Yes, these attempts to bring back the dead were brought about by love, but I guess it’s true that love hurts (or kills).

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