Faye Dunawaye stars in the starring role as Mommie Dearest
Faye Dunawaye stars in the title role as Mommie Dearest Wikicommons

Mothering Sunday is a day to celebrate mothers for all the good things that they do throughout the year. But some mums are better than others, and there are a few who may not be receiving any floral tributes any time soon. Hollywood has celebrated the nastiest around, and here's our rogues' gallery of Bad Mothers.

Mrs Robinson in The Graduate
Perhaps having sex with your future son-in-law is not what every daughter would want. Mrs Robinson, played by Anne Bancroft, seduces young graduate Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), who then falls in love with her daughter Elaine. In reality, Anne Bancroft was 36, only six years older than Hoffman.

Margaret White in Carrie
A traumatic home life leads to problems and poor old Carrie has to put up with Mrs White, played by Piper Laurie. She a religious maniac who believes that Carrie is getting her period because she is sinful. To repent, she locks her daughter in darkened cupboards to pray for her mortal soul.

Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest
The movie actress was one of Hollywood's greats but not so great in the maternal stakes. The film Mommie Dearest was based on the autobiography of Crawford's adopted daughter Christina, cataloguing the various traumas and beatings meted out by the actress. In one episode, Crawford gets really cross after discovering that Christina has hung her dresses on wire coat hangers. ("You live in the most beautiful house in Brentwood, and you don't care if your clothes are stretched out from wire hangers!")

Fiona Shaw as Aunt Petunia in the Harry Potter films
Fiona Shaw as Aunt Petunia in the Harry Potter films Wikicommons

Aunt Petunia in Harry Potter
Unloved Harry Potter has a cupboard under the stairs for a bedroom and given very little to eat by his guardian, Aunt Petunia. She might be named after a flower but she isn't very fragrant. Harry Potter's aunt is definitely from the school of hard knocks.

Livia Soprano from The Sopranos
Mother to New Jersey mobster Tony and star of the show. When her son decided that she can no longer live on her own, he attempted to move her to a nursing home (or, as Tony says, a "retirement community." In retaliation, Livia manipulates Uncle Junior to order a hit on her own son. Her namesake was the wife of the Roman emperor Augustus, who she allegedly poisoned to make way for her own son to succeed to the Imperial throne.

The Queen Mother from Aliens
She is the mother who lays the molten eggs, which eventually turn into lots of little aliens that kill and devour humans, with a special taste for Sigourney Weaver. The Queen Mother has acidic saliva and a ferocious set of teeth.

Norma Bates in Psycho
After the death of her husband John, Norma Bates raises her son Norman with cruelty and manipulation. She forbids him to have a life away from her, and teaches him that sex is evil and that all women (except herself) are very bad indeed. Norman, not surprisingly, turns into a psychotic killer.

Kathleen Turner as a smiling psycho killer in Serial Mom
Kathleen Turner as a smiling psycho killer in Serial Mom Youtube

Beverly Sutphin in Serial Mom
Kathleen Turner plays the eponymous role in John Waters' 1994 dark comedy. She's partial to making obscene phone calls, runs over cats and is a serial killer. She stands trial for her crimes but is found not guilty by reason of insanity. Her family who vow to "never get on her nerves".

The Other Mother in Coraline
At first, Other Mother appeared as a sweet and well-mannered mother who adores Coraline in this horror-fantasy film. However, she soon reveals a dark side and has an ulterior motive to pluck out Coraline's eyes and sew buttons as replacements.

Monique Angela Hicks (R) plays the mother of Precious Claireece Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe)
Monique Angela Hicks (R) plays the mother of Precious Claireece Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) Wikicommons

Mo'Nique in Precious
A terrible tale about obese 16-year-old Claireece Precious Jones, who has been raped and made pregnant by her father. Mo'Nique is Precious's verbally and physically abusive mother, who only lives with her daughter in order to receive extra money from the government. The actress who played the mother's role, Monique Angela Hicks, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2009.