Catherine O’Hara is the birthmother of bizarre movie moms. ‘Beetlejuice’ was only the beginning

By Dan Heching, CNN

(CNN) — You can call her a misunderstood artiste or a “stepmonster,” but any way you put it, Catherine O’Hara’s Delia Deetz in 1988’s “Beetlejuice” is a devilishly delicious pop culture mom in a class of her own.

Through the lens 2024, the character – who returns in this week’s sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” – is in many ways a hair-dye-and-formaldehyde-soaked antidote to the tradwife trend dominating social media. Married to a square and stuck in a rural house that she hates in the first movie, Delia soothes her displeasure with her commitment to art – outlandish sculpture pieces that became part of the visual signature of the Tim Burton classic – along with self medication (or, “Prince Valium”).

That is, before the undead take her on a ride that has her household terrorized by a trickster demon named Beetlejuice. Deila’s very specific verbal tics and facial expressions – not to mention an incredible lip sync performance – made her unforgettable, and, thanks to O’Hara, one of the biggest draws for this week’s new installment in the franchise.

But Delia isn’t the only out-there mom O’Hara has portrayed on the big or small screen. Here’s a look at some other titles in which the beloved Canadian actress was able to flex her madcap maternal instincts:

Kate McCallister in ‘Home Alone’

Never has a one-word movie line become so iconic as when O’Hara, as the frazzled mom of five in this classic Christmas movie, uttered “KEVIN!” after realizing she left one of her brood at home during their holiday trip to France. The movie hinges on her quest to be reunited with Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) and is ultimately quite heartwarming, but O’Hara still gets to fly a bit of her unique flag in certain moments, like when irritably pleading with the staff at the airport to move mountains to get her home (fat chance).

While she’s gone, of course, Macaulay’s Kevin has to fend for himself against bumbling burglars, and the child endangerment at the center of this tale shows that it took some guts for O’Hara to play a mom who makes a pretty serious mistake before “Bad Moms” was a celebrated cinema category.

Beatrice Lever in ‘Home Fries’

This odd darkish comedy is made all the odder by O’Hara’s meddling and kinda homicidal mother character Beatrice, who puts her sons up to scaring (and ultimately killing) her two-timing husband. From there, she tries to convince the pair of young men to hunt down the other woman, an unassuming and adorable fast food worker played by Drew Barrymore. O’Hara’s insecure histrionics play like a slow-motion car wreck in the movie, giving it one of its brighter spots.

Moira Rose in ‘Schitt’s Creek’

O’Hara gained many new fans and admirers thanks to her performance as Moira Rose, a role that netted her an Emmy in 2020. A wayward posh actress who finds herself stuck in a rural place, Moira is at her most amusing – and cringeworthy – when trying to mother her disillusioned children Alexis (Annie Murphy) and David (Dan Levy).

Ultimately, though, her awkward and stilted efforts prove to be endearing, with the star of “The Crows Have Eyes III: The Crowening” occupying a position adjacent to Delia Deetz in the pantheon of timeless and bizarre onscreen moms.

Honorable mention: O’Hara’s hilarious role as formerly promiscuous dog mom Cookie Fleck in “Best In Show.”

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