'Don't Wake Mommy' Combines Scares & Motherhood

Since Lifetime is a network aimed at women, it makes sense that many of its films explore pregnancy, adoption, and motherhood. However, Lifetime is also a network known for making some creepy original movies, and sometimes, those two things mix, resulting in terrifying tales of motherhood. Its latest movie, Don't Wake Mommy, is one such tale. Thankfully, Don't Wake Mommy doesn't seem to be based on a true story, since most Lifetime movies with real origins are advertised with that fact explicitly stated, but the story may still sound familiar. The plot seems similar to other TV movies that Lifetime has created, and if you're an avid viewer of the network, you may get a sense of déjà vu while watching it.

Though the synopsis of Don't Wake Mommy available on Lifetime's website is vague, it definitely reads as something familiar.

Molly is struggling with being a new mom, but after meeting Beth, things temporarily improve only to turn as Beth's dark intentions are brought to light.

We don't know many details about Beth or Molly, but they seem to fit into the two roles often found in Lifetime thrillers. If I had to infer from this synopsis, I would say that Molly, played by Ashley Bell, will be the "good mom" protagonist, who struggles but ultimately loves her child and wants to be the best mom she can. Beth, on the other hand, is the seemingly great gal who tries to make Molly's life easier, only for her to reveal her villainous tendencies and become the violent antagonist soon after. How do I know this? I have plenty of experience with similar movies.

Take The Surrogate, for example. In that movie, a "perfect wife" is conned into making a highly unstable woman her surrogate, only for the surrogate to threaten their unborn child's life if her demands aren't met. There's also The Surrogacy Trap , which again is about a seemingly lovely woman who hides her motives long enough to manipulate a poor, nice woman into carrying her unborn baby. In fact, Lifetime poked fun at these very storylines with A Deadly Adoption, a parody film starring Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell about a couple who invites an unhinged woman into their home in hopes of adopting her baby. Though Molly is already a mother in Don't Wake Mommy, it seems to be following this pattern in her dynamic with Beth, which will surely become deadly.

Of course, if you're a Lifetime movie fan, you already know to expect these roles — and are probably watching these flicks because of them. Even if you have an idea of what's coming, that doesn't make them any less thrilling. Here's hoping that Don't Wake Mommy is as wild a ride as the similarly maternal Lifetime movies that came before it.