Barbara Anders (Wendie Malick) is the main villainess from the 2020 Lifetime film, Deranged Granny (alternately titled, Grandma Dearest; airdate September 12, 2020).
Backstory/Introduction[]
Barbara Anders is the mother of Ethan Anders, and she is introduced as being widowed; her husband (Ethan's father), died prior to the film's events. Since losing her husband, Barbara became obsessed with being a grandmother, which included becoming heavily involved in Ethan's marriage to Lucy and acting friendly to the latter once she became pregnant, despite hating Lucy since she married Ethan.
The film's opening showed Barbara appearing in Lucy's hospital room as she was set to give birth, with both Ethan and Lucy expressing wariness over Barbara's appearance. However, Lucy ended up losing the baby (who was going to be named Jason), and after receiving the news, Barbara vandalized Dr. Howard's car; using her lipstick to write "Murderer" on his windshield.
Events[]
Barbara threatening her former employer, Patty
Barbara's relentless attempts to force Lucy to become pregnant again ended up destroying her marriage to Ethan, who ended up engaged to the film's main protagonist, Kendall Thompson--a divorced mother of two children, Amy and Bobby. After learning about the distant relationship between Ethan and Barbara, Kendall decided to invite the latter over to her home in an attempt to mend things; however, seeing Amy and Bobby resurrected Barbara's obsession. She quickly embraced her role as a grandmother to Kendall's children, though meeting Kendall's ex-husband (Amy and Bobby's father), Calvin Thompson, and his mother, Jane Thompson, led Barbara to see both of them as obstacles.
Barbara's villainous demeanor was first shown when she used her knowledge of Bobby's peanut allergy to activate it and then act as a "savior" for her grandson afterwards. After witnessing Amy and Bobby leaving with Calvin, Barbara tracked the trio to a nearby park under the guise of "running into them," but once their backs were turned, Barbara laced Calvin's drink with a chemical that made Calvin sick, allowing Barbara to take care of the children on her own. Barbara later delivered Bobby's lunch to him at school, and also threatened a young boy who had been bullying Bobby; threatening to poison him if he took Bobby's lunch again. All the while, Barbara gleamed over Bobby calling her "Grandma."
However, Barbara later learned that Calvin would be accepting a job offer in his native Boston, and he planned to take the children there for a three month stay. The demented villainess planned to kill Calvin by lacing her baked apple pie with rat poison, while also inviting Calvin over to discuss Amy and Bobby and his plans to take them to Boston with him. Barbara served a slice of her apple pie to Calvin, who began to feel the effects of the poisoning and attempted to call 911, only for the villainess to take the phone and smirk at Calvin after watching his slow death.
Climax & Arrest[]
Barbara holding Kendall at gunpoint
Kendall began to suspect Barbara's strange behavior, and a visit to her neighbor, Patty, revealed that at some point, Patty hired Barbara as a nanny for her children, but she displayed obsession with Patty's chidren as well. Patty revealed that Barbara saved her daughter from a sesame seed allergy, while giving the indication that she intentionally caused it to make herself look good. Patty fired Barbara due to her obsessive behavior, with a vengeful Barbara phoning Child Services on Patty afterwards.
Kendall confronted Barbara after her meeting with Patty, and she later learned about her ex-husband's death during their conversation. Later that evening, the evil Barbara appeared at Patty's home and threatened her to change her tune or face losing her children at Barbara's vengeful hands. In the film's climax, Barbara was set on killing Kendall with the same poisoned pie, doing so after voicing her concerns that Calvin's parents could fight for custody and win. The maniacal villainess kept Amy and Bobby away from the pie, which she later served to Kendall that evening; however, Kendall had found out that she was pregnant, and after she told Barbara, the villainess backtracked and told Kendall not to eat the pie, claiming that it was due to the sugar intake.
However, after hearing a plate shatter, Barbara rushed to the kitchen and feared that Amy and Bobby had eaten the pie. She later attempted to force Bobby to take ipecac to induce vomiting, only for Amy to reveal that they hadn't eaten the pie. In addition, Kendall noticed what Barbara was doing, only for Barbara to claim that the eggs she used to make the pie were stale, and she hadn't found out until afterwards. Kendall inspected the egg carton and later found a jar of rat poison, after learning that it was found in Calvin's body, leading to a confrontation with Barbara regarding Calvin's death and putting the children in danger, as well as attempting to kill Kendall herself.
Barbara admitted to killing Calvin due to his plan to take the children to Boston, and later pointed a gun at Kendall as she dialed 911. With 911 overhearing the pair, Barbara blamed Kendall for her actions, voicing her desire to be a grandmother to Kendall's children while continuing her threat to kill her daughter-in-law. Once Amy and Bobby entered the kitchen, Kendall attempted to disarm Barbara, causing the gun to go off and police to arrive at the house. The villainess later pointed the gun at her own head, stating that she wouldn't live without the children, only to be talked down by the police and arrested. The film's final scenes showed Barbara in her cell knitting a sweater, while informing a guard that it was for her new granddaughter, named Sarah.
Trivia[]
- Wendie Malick also voiced villainess Norma Osborn on Ultimate Spider-Man, and appeared as the evil Regina Prince on Law & Order: SVU, and later played villainess Julianne on Night Court.
Gallery[]
