Welcome to Day 24 of Spooky Season!! Today, I wanted to share some of my favorite moments that included the fathers in the horror genre. Whether the fathers were good or bad, these are some of the moments that stuck with me the most and that I consider iconic. I hope you enjoy and let me know your favorite father moments in horror! (SPOILER ALERT!!!)

Stillo Crew Massacre – The Last House On The Left (1972)

After losing his daughter to a group of psychopaths, John Collingwood (Richard Towers) and his wife avenged her death and exacted revenge on Krug Stillo (David Hess) and his crew. After setting up elaborate traps, John eventually found himself losing a fight with Krug. Krug was suddenly distracted by his son and John had enough time to run to the basement and grab his chainsaw. Krug’s attempt to escape was foiled by another trap and John got his revenge by tearing Krug apart! Revenge is a dish best served cold, and John served that justice for his daughter very cold and very brutal!

Running Through The Maze – The Shining

Suffering from cabin fever and diving back into alcohol, Jack (Jack Nicholson) and the spirits that haunt the hotel tried to kill Jack’s wife and son. When his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), split up, Danny ended up running through a hedge maze, only to have Jack chase him through it with an ax. Danny eventually outsmarted his father and got away, as Jack got more lost in the maze and froze to death. Jack certainly wasn’t a saint, even before he went to the hotel. He let his demons take over and tried to kill his family… now he’s trapped in the hell he tried to trap his family in.

Where’s My Father’s Day Cake?! – Creepshow

The reason that this particular scene was so iconic was because it was creepy, but it was also very heartbreaking. Nathan Grantham (Jon Lormer) was a bitter old man who was killed by his daughter on Father’s Day, after he killed the love of her life and later berated her and screamed for his Father’s Day cake. Many years later, he came back from the dead with only one thing on his mind – his cake. He finally got his cake in the form of his great niece’s decapitated head. It was also a great revenge moment as well since all of those who had a hand in the cover-up of his murder were killed by his hand.

You’re A F***ing Natural! – Seed Of Chucky

As killer doll Chucky (Brad Dourif) tried to recruit his son, Glen (Billy Boyd) into the family business, their first target was a paparazzo, Pete Peters (John Waters). Chucky toyed with Pete before setting up to kill him. Because he didn’t want to see anybody else die, Glen tried to warn Pete, but ended up scaring him and causing him to run into a shelf full of chemicals. As the acid that fell on Pete’s head killed him, Chucky stood by his son, proudly exclaiming, “And I thought you weren’t ready! Kid, you’re a f***ing natural!” I’m not going to lie, this scene where a psychopathic killer doll takes his son to his first kill to bond is almost really sweet.

Help Me With The Eyes – Trick ‘r Treat

Steven Wilkins (Dylan Baker) was a man who followed the sacred rules of Halloween, and he’d kill those who didn’t abide by those rules. On Halloween night, his son, Billy (Connor Levins), begged him to carve Jack-O-Lanterns. Steven was obviously irritated, and we’re led to believe he’s going to kill his own son. However, we see that he was actually teaching Billy his own Halloween tradition as he twirled a decapitated head on the table, ready for carving. Steven Wilkins was definitely a man of tradition!