The Maternal Grotesque

In the landscape of horror and gothic games, motherhood is rarely a site of sanctuary. Instead, motherhood in such genres is framed through abjection, bodily horror, and kinetic dissonance. This presentation will explore the "Grotesque Matriarch" by examining the relationship between cinematic framing, character design, and animation. Drawing on Barbara Creed's Monstrous-Feminine, we consider how titles such as Dragon Age: Origins, Bloodborne, Resident Evil, and Silent Hill utilise cinematics and character design to construct the maternal body as a site of simultaneous repulsion and fascination.

By contrasting the erratically animated Grotesque Matriarch with the imposing design of the Monstrous Patriarch, we situate these figures within their broader contexts. We propose that the Grotesque Matriarch transcends standard horror tropes to become a somatic experience enacted through the haptic gaze; that design and movement through the Monstrous-Feminine forces the player into a direct, visceral confrontation with the inherent horror of the maternal body.