10 Movies and TV Shows Featuring Widowed Characters

1. Psycho (1960)

SPOILER ALERT!

One of Alfred Hitchcock's most famous films, "Psycho" centers largely around the damaged mind of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), whose widowed mother, Norma, messed him up. Like with some actual serial killers, Norman suffered from an absent father and a domineering mother, who made him psychologically dependent on her and taught him that women were nothing but whores.

This is what led him down the darkened path to murder, and crafted one of the most memorable death scenes in all of cinema: The shower murder of Marion Crane (Janet Leigh). Interestingly, "Norma" is alternately voiced by Virginia Gregg, Paul Jasmin, and Jeanette Nolan.

2. Charade (1963)

A "Hitchcockian" hybrid of romantic comedy, mystery, and thriller, "Charade" definitely qualifies for this list. Audrey Hepburn's character, Regina, is informed by police that her husband Charles sold off their belongings, then was murdered while trying to leave Paris.

This is learned as she becomes acquainted with a man named Peter Joshua (Cary Grant)...or is that his real name? It turns out that Charles had something valuable which cost him his life. Will it prove equally as deadly for Reggie? This movie has some worthwhile performances by Walter Matthau, James Coburn, and George Kennedy as Herman Scobie, a hook-handed man who engages in a kick-ass rooftop fight!

3. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Sergio Leone's moody masterpiece pits a mysterious stranger with a harmonica (Charles Bronson) against a corrupt railroad tycoon, Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti), and his twisted hired gun Frank (Henry Fonda). Assisting "Harmonica" is a wanted desperado named Cheyenne (Jason Robards) and a woman named Jill (Claudia Cardinale), whose family was recently killed by Frank to move them from the land so his railroad will go unimpeded.

These truly are scummy villains, and viewers are sure glad that Harmonica has what it takes to protect the widowed Jill from these miscreants. On top of that, Harmonica has revenge motives of his own. Not only is it a compelling story, but Leone has a way of taking even mundane moments and making them appear profound. Also, Ennio Morricone's haunting score, punctuated by that great harmonica riff, only helps elevate this movie.

4. Creepshow (1982)

Though it had mixed reviews upon release, George A. Romero's "Creepshow" has established itself as one of the great anthology films, inspiring one quality sequel film and a successful series on Shudder. While all stories in this film are great, one that stands out the most has to be "The Crate."

It stars Hal Holbrook as Henry Northup, whose wife, Wilma "Billie" Northup (Adrienne Barbeau) annoys the living shit out of him. When he learns that his collegiate pal, Dexter (Fritz Weaver), has discovered a man-eating monster in a crate under a university staircase, his fantasies of killing his wife (thereby rendering himself a widow) easily catch up with him. His twisted plan is drafted in little time, but can he pull it off?

Not enough relevance to the topic of widows? Okay, how about another "Creepshow" segment called "They're Creeping Up on You"? In this story, Lenora Castonmeyer (Ann Muffly) seethes with hatred against Upson Pratt (E. G. Marshall) for being a shrewd businessman who inspired her husband to commit suicide. After she wishes him dead, he goes on to rant about all other people being like bugs to him. However, not all bugs are so easily crushed, and Pratt ends up facing a lot of uninvited, rather gross little guests, ostensibly the collective spirit of those he has wronged over the years.

5. The Secret of NIMH (1982)

Don Bluth's "The Secret of NIMH" is a unique animated feature. Though kids might enjoy it, it definitely has some grownup themes throughout. The main character, a widowed field mouse named Mrs. Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman), lives in a cinder block on a farm.

She ends up going on a great journey for a new home for the plowing season. The story gets weirder and more fantastical as it goes along, becoming almost impossible to summarize. The film also stars the voices of Dom DeLuise, Arthur Malet, Derek Jacobi, Hermione Baddeley, John Carradine, Peter Strauss, and Paul Shenar.

6. The Karate Kid (1984)

A quintessential 1980s movie, John G. Avildsen's "The Karate Kid" blends humor, drama, and martial arts skillfully, with iconic characters and scenes. Part of the drama stems from Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita). While instructing Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) in the ways of karate, he tells the tragic story of losing both his wife and son in childbirth at the Manzanar internment camp while he fought for the United States during World War II in Europe. Because of this, it seems Miyagi takes on life-long goals of not letting the past dictate his future. further inspiring Daniel.

7. Brazil (1985)

Ranked by Time Out magazine as the 24th best British film ever, Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" has aged pretty well. The tale is a mix of humor and drama with strongly dystopian sci-fi. It also really kicks off with the main character, Sam (Jonathan Pryce). informing Veronica Buttle (Sheila Reid) that her husband was accidentally exterminated by the government, which leads Sam on a mind-bending adventure.

8. The Golden Girls (1985–1992)

This classic sitcom featured three Miami-based widows, Rose Nylund (Betty White), Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan), and Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty), as well as divorcée Dorothy Zbornak (Beatrice Arthur). It was surreal how well the character chemistry worked on "The Golden Girls," enough to make the show a TV classic.

You had Rose's silly stories and occasional dimwittedness, Blanche's exaggerated sexiness, Sophia's blunt honesty (and age jokes, as she was sometimes confused about what was going on), and Dorothy's sarcastic and acerbic wit. Put any of them together in a room and very rarely are they well-behaved.

After 7 successful seasons, CBS attempted to continue the magic with the spinoff series, The Golden Palace, but that only lasted one season (possibly because it didn't have Dorothy Zbornak, who some might consider the main protagonist of the original series). Even after suffering such a setback, "The Golden Girls' Sophia could still be seen on spinoff series "Empty Nest" during its final 2 seasons.

9. The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

Although all the main women characters (Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Susan Sarandon) are single, only Cher's character is a widow. When a mysterious figure named Daryl Van Horne (Jack Nicholson) rolls into town, he seems to bring joy into their lives, perhaps a renewed sense of purpose. Oh, and they also become aware that they are witches with supernatural powers!

Daryl is a bit of a devilish character, however. Sure, he seems capable of mastering a musical instrument or performing an impromptu bit of poetry, but he is also crass as hell, and dangerous. In fact, he may just be disastrous for the town of Eastwick. Written by Michael Cristofer and based on the original novel by John Updike, this movie is fairly entertaining and engaging, always skillfully evading the pitfalls of the standard "chick flick."

10. Child's Play (1988)

Though "Child's Play" is mostly about a killer doll, an interesting yet subtle plot point is that Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) is a widow. Frankly, this fact is quite buried in the movie, but we know she is a single mother. To help give her son Andy (Alex Vincent), she buys a "Good Guy" doll named Chucky (Brad Dourif) from a homeless man (Juan Ramirez), and she end's up with the buyer's remorse of a lifetime!

You don't want to neet Chucky or be an old associate of Charles Lee Ray. Since the original "Child's Play," many have been murdered by good old Chucky. Though he looks lovable when he wants to, he can quickly change his expression to say: "I hate everyone and everything, especially you."