History Main / EvilOrphanageLady

* Miss Hannigan from Film/Annie neglects the children in her care

* "Mama" from ''Manga/ThePromisedNeverland'' is a kind woman who acts nothing like this... Until it turns out that [[FirstEpisodeSpoiler she is selling the the children under her care to demons to protect herself]], and using psychological mind games to root out anyone who could try to escape.

->"The headmistress is an evil, cruel woman. They call her [[IronicName Grelod the Kind]]. But she's not kind. She's terrible -- to all of us!"

Interestingly, this character is almost AlwaysFemale, usually an OldMaid who has become old, overweight or otherwise physically unattractive, and the failure to gain a family of her own often explains why she has become such a terrible person. Or, the fact that she is a terrible person explains why she never had her own family in a Chicken-Or-Egg scenario. Such characters who fall under this trope are considered to be blatant examples of a HateSink due to the fact that their only role seems to be to make the lives of children miserable which in turn causes the children and even the viewers to hate these characters.

Interestingly, this character is almost AlwaysFemale, usually an OldMaid who has become old, overweight or otherwise physically unattractive, and the failure to gain a family of her own often explains why she has become such a terrible person. Or, the fact that she is a terrible person explains why she never had her own family in a Chicken-Or-Egg scenario.

* Madam Draygone in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8252393/3/The-Bond-of-the-Orphans The Bond of the Orphans]]'', unaffectionately called "The Dragon" by the children at Draygone House. She yells at everyone, keeps the orphanage in question in disrepair and despises cheerful people.

[[folder:Film - Animated]]

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', Honorhall Orphanage in Riften is run by a terrible old woman called Grelod the Kind. She constantly gives speeches to the kids about how worthless they are and that they wont be adopted, ever. The kids themselves tell you that beatings are frequent and snooping around the building reveals that there is a cell with shackles on the wall. The kind normally seen in prisons. Grelod also starves the children by giving them only ''one'' meal a day in the afternoon. ''She even keeps them from being adopted'' -- she's that much of a power-hungry ControlFreak. It's so bad, that one of the kids escaped and tried to recruit [[MurderInc The Dark Brotherhood]] to kill Grelod. [[spoiler:You can pretend to be from the Brotherhood and kill Grelod yourself (notably, [[DingDongTheWitchIsDead you can do this openly and suffer no consequences for it]]). The children will ''cheer'' and praise the Dark Brotherhood. Needless to say, the Dark Brotherhood is not happy about this.]]

* Miss Hannigan from ''Theatre/{{Annie}}'' runs the orphanage where Annie lives. She drinks and mistreats the girls under her charge, telling them not to sing, and even having a whole song about how she hates little girls. Later she [[spoiler:helps organize a plot to kidnap Annie for money. (At least before her HeelFaceTurn when Annie's life is in danger.)]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BuBumLaStradaVersoCasa'': The OrphanageOfFear featured in episode 20 is run by a military version of this character.

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[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

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[[folder:Live Action TV]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

* "Mama" from ''The Promised Neverland'' is a kind woman who acts nothing like this... Until it turns out that [[FirstEpisodeSpoiler she is selling the the children under her care to demons to protect herself]], and using psychological mind games to root out anyone who could try to escape.

[[folder:Film - Animated]]
* Miss Hattie from ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' runs a miserable orphanage where the children are forced to sell cookies but she keeps all the profits. If they don't sell enough they have to sit in a "box of shame".
* Ms. Mavilda from ''WesternAnimation/TheChristmasTree'' is a corrupt orphanage owner who spends all her profits on gambling rather than to help the orphans.

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', Honorhall Orphanage in Riften is run by a terrible old woman called Grelod the Kind. She constantly gives speeches to the kids about how worthless they are and that they wont be adopted, ever. The kids themselves tell you that beatings are frequent and snooping around the building reveals that there is a cell with shackles on the wall. The kind normally seen in prisons. Grelod also starves the children by giving them only ''one'' meal a day in the afternoon. ''She even keeps them from being adopted'' -- she's that much of a power-hungry ControlFreak. It's so bad, that one of the kids escaped and tried to recruit [[MurderInc The Dark Brotherhood]] to kill Grelod. [[spoiler:You can pretend to be from the Brotherhood and kill Grelod yourself. The children will ''cheer'' and praise the Dark Brotherhood. Needless to say, the Dark Brotherhood is not happy about this.]]

In any good OrphanageOfFear or BoardingSchoolOfHorrors, especially one for girls, there will probably be one of these--a wicked governess or headmistress who delights in frightening and tormenting the children under her care. Under her, meals are small and usually served cold, mattresses are hard, and punishments are severe.

* The ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' version of [[NewGods Granny Goodness]], who uses her cover as an orphanage manager to brainwash and train girls for a future assault on Earth by {{Darkseid}}.

Often a ChildHater. Compare TheFagin, a character who takes in orphans specifically to make them commit crimes. See also BattleaxeNurse and WickedStepmother.

* Granny Goodness from Apokolips could hardly be more inappropriately named, as her job is to brainwash the children in her orphanages into becoming servile, brutal slaves of ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}.

* Granny Goodness from Apokolips could hardly be more inappropriately named, as her job is to brainwash the children in her orphanages into becoming servile, brutal slaves of Darkseid.

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