NO WIRE HANGERS, EVER!
- While Faye Dunaway's hammy performance earns some unintentional laughs, it can be pretty terrifying when it needs to (AFI even included Dunaway as Crawford on a list of the best movie villains). Especially for viewers who had abusive parents themselves.
- A red-eyed Joan, face covered in cream, screaming at her daughter in the middle of the night "NO WIRE HANGERS!". Then trashing the room and beating said child with a wire hanger. This was one of those movie scenes that gave children in the 80's nightmares. Even more frightening is that many people who grew up with such parents can attest that it's terrifyingly accurate.
- When Christopher offers to help his sister clean the bathroom that Joan has just destroyed, Christina begs him to go back to bed or Joan will "kill" him. This is a young, terrified child who literally believes that her mother can and will murder her own children if she's angry enough.
- Joan bellowing at the men at Pepsi "don't fuck with me fellas!" after becoming more and more unhinged.
- Joan violently chopping the trees and bushes in her yard down with an axe.
- Joan cutting Christina's hair off (nearly cutting her ears) while screaming in her face.
- Joan tackling Christina and attempting to strangle her to death.
- The whole idea that the terrifying mother Joan Crawford wasn't fictional, a person that was so mentally ill and abusive actually existed.
