Fonda is a delight on screen as the deliciously over-possessive Viola, and I've decided her character wins my 2005 Award for the Best Evil Mother In A Movie or TV Show.

So now let's cue the smoke machine and the tinkling xylophone music and reflect on some worthy former winners.

The Manchurian Candidate (2004): Whether you watch the original starring Frank Sinatra or the 2004 remake starring Denzel Washington, it doesn't matter. In this political paranoia thriller, it's the mother who gives you the creeps.

In the 1962 original film it was Angela Landsbury who ruled with an iron fist and was determined to see her husband's career flourish. In the recent remake it's Meryl Streep who takes on the role of the domineering and calculating mother determined to see her son win the US vice-presidency.

Note to self: You know when your own mother tries to pash you that things aren't looking up.

Throw Mama From The Train (1987): As soon as actress Anne Ramsey hits the screen you want to pass her son Owen a couple of bullets for his gun.

Ramsey plays the ultimate tyrannical mother in this black comedy about two men who want to get rid of the women in their lives. Writing teacher Larry (Billy Crystal) wants to kill his wife because she stole his novel and became a star. While Owen (Danny DeVito) wants to kill his mother after years of being berated, abused, manipulated and degraded.

The first time Ramsey screeches: "Owen! Food!" you'll want to give her a swift kick to the head.

Mommie Dearest (1981): Some kids spend years in therapy trying to undo the damage done by their parents. Others write tell-all memoirs detailing the narcissistic behaviour of their famous abusive parents.

Joan Crawford was one of the biggest movie stars of her time. Unfortunately, she had the mothering skills of Idi Amin.

Christina Crawford was the adopted daughter of mega-movie star Joan, and this film details the true story of her traumatic and, at times, sick upbringing by the star. The film's title is reference to the fact that Crawford insisted her children refer to her as "Mommie dearest". And you thought your mother was bad.

Gypsy (1962): Forget the recent remake starring Bette Midler, the original with Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood is the one to watch. Gypsy is the true story of Gypsy Rose Lee, the most famous burlesque queen of the past century.

Rosalind Russell plays Momma Rose, the unstoppable mother who drags her daughters (June and Louise) across America in the pursuit of fame and fortune, eventually forcing Louise to strip on stage to earn the family some money.

As one critic said: "One person's doting mother is another's smothering gargoyle."

The Partidge Family (1970): A widowed mother, Shirley Partridge, decides to pay the bills by making her kids dress up in bad costumes and tour around the country performing in a family band. In the '70s it was called bonding. Today it's called child exploitation.

Ever heard of school, Shirley? And any mother who makes a 12-year-old boy wear a purple velvet suit (with ruffles) deserves to get a visit from the authorities.

Psycho (1960): Things don't get much more frightening than Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) pretending to be his own mother in Alfred Hitchcock's suspense classic. But then perhaps Norman was just suffering from workplace stress. He had a motel to run, lots of cheese sandwiches to cook for mother and that bloody dead body in the shower to clean up.