Revenge Films - TV Tropes

Revenge Films trope index
A to F (Attempted Rape, Bedroom Adultery Scene, Beg the Dog, Bitch In Sheep's Clothing, Didn't Think This Through, The Dog Bites Back, Domestic Abuse, Foot-Dragging Divorcee) | G to L (Gold Digger, The Grovel, Humiliation Conga, I Have No Son!) | M to R (Momma's Boy, Obnoxious Entitled Housewife, Obnoxious In-Laws, Put on a Prison Bus, Relationship Sabotage) | S to Y (Second Love, Spoiled Brat, The Un-Favourite, Villainous Breakdown)

Most stories starting with or centered around a female protagonist's marriage will have her face an abusive mother or sister-in-law who will try to drive her away. Their motivations range from immature and creepy (trying to "bring their sons back" from the FMC) to outright sexist and abusive (looking down on the FMC for not being a "good wife", ie. she's a working woman rather than a stay-at-home housewife).

While the FMC's husband will often stand up for her and even cut ties with his family if they go too far, there are other stories where the man turns out to be a Momma's Boy or otherwise sides with the abusive in-laws, driving the FMC to a divorce.

Therefore, it's certain that these kinds of bully-in-laws are not safe from karma's wrath, so this warrants Revenge Films its own Obnoxious In-Laws page.

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• Daughter-in-law wants nothing to do with me... is a rare example of the daughter-in-law being cold to her husband's mother. She told her not to contact them unless it was for ceremonial purposes. It came back to bite them in the butt, when the mother-in-law decided to leave her family estate to her younger son whose wife treated her in-laws better.
• When I asked my daughter in law, when her due date was, she answered “16 months”… stars another inversion: Karen is rude to her mother-in-law Jane and refuses to do the chores. To make matters worse, Karen's parents refused to do anything about it when Jane called them out.
• I went to see my mother-in-law in the hospital…but… [sic]: Taylor Smith was mistreated by her mother-in-law Mary simply because the couple wasn't giving her grandchildren. Luckily Taylor's sister-in-law gave her a voice recorder which allowed Taylor to record the insults which resulted in her son cutting her off and her husband threatening to divorce her if she did it again.
• The time my ex-brother-in-law crashed my Mercedes Benz: A man's brother-in-law regularly "borrow" small things from him and even went as far as to steal his Mercedes Benz all because he was jealous of him.
• My mother-in-law was supposed to take care of my son while I was having a C section but...: Tori's mother-in-law berated her for not being as good as a mother as she is despite her trying to be a good mother. When she called Tori two days before her C-section surgery to cancel babysitting her son for a trip, Tori got mad and soon became more assertive and ignored her when she got injured.
• My sister almost died from her allergy: Blair slipped shrimp into a soup, knowing her daughter-in-law Ali was allergic to seafood. When she got hospitalized, Blair tried to make excuses until Ali's kids exposed her laughing at the dying Ali.
• Sister-in-law looks down on me, but now the tables have turned: The OP is looked down on by her sister-in-law for marrying late. When the woman's brother got his house wrecked by an earthquake, the sister-in-law demanded she gives up her countryside condo, only to be rejected.
• Making 10K a year working remotely and my mother-in-law treats me like a slave...: Sukami is regularly bullied by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who accuse her of being a gold digger since her husband Mobio had a high-paying job. When she refuted their accusation, the in-laws decided to make her their slave.
• Husband's family loves my husband's ex girlfriend so much [sic]: Karin was bullied by her in-laws because she wasn't as pretty as her husband's ex-girlfriend. Even her husband joined in on the bullying and forced her to attend dinners with his family just to make fun of her.
• I broke away from my crazy mother-in-law and we started our new and happy life overseas: Amy was treated like a housemaid by her mother-in-law while Alan was away. When she announced Alan was going to work abroad, the MIL wanted to keep her in the house only for Amy to announce she was going too.
• My mother-in-law tied my daughters to the tree outside as "discipline": Kanae Mubita was mistreated by her mother-in-law and her brother-in-law. While her husband was understanding of her, he eventually behaved like them. The last straw for her was that he let the in-laws tie Kanae's daughters to a tree half-naked for defending her.
• I flipped out at how my in-laws were treating my daughters while I was gone...: The OP was not only was abused by her husband's parents and brother for being on welfare and working at a hostess club, but they also came after her brother since he couldn't get a good job, but her husband defended her as best as he could. What's more, said in-laws had problems with overspending and demanded the OP give them money. To make matters worse, they moved in with the couple and treated her like a slave.
• I had a miscarriage because my mother-in-law beat me: The OP's mother-in-law bullied her for anything and everything. When the OP became pregnant, the MIL became much kinder towards her upon finding out she was having a baby boy since it was her previous demand. However, she throws it out of the window and assaults the OP because she had the baby boy before her sister-in-law, who had a baby girl instead.
• "My husband tried to force me to take care of his abusive mother, so I divorced him": Jean Oregano was forced by her husband Geoff to look after his mother because of her back pain. However, the back pain not only didn't stop the old crone from verbally and even physically abusing Jean and treating her like a slave, which she did long before she married Geoff, but the MIL used her walking cane as a weapon.
• Mother-in-law kept harassing me…: Ali's mother-in-law Blair harassed her while her husband left for work and berated her for her cooking, even physically abusing her. When she tried to record her, her tone always made her sound like she was the victim, and when she tried to tell her husband, he came too tired from work to listen.
• Mother-in-law moves In with us “If You Have A Problem, Leave!”: Christy was bossed around by her mother-in-law, who told on her with her son Mason whenever she refused to budge. When both Mason and his mom picked on her cooking, Christy got pissed off and both mother and son kick her out of the house in retaliation.
• Mother-in-law kept harassing me…: Ali's mother-in-law always bullied her whenever her husband dragged her into the in-laws' house by giving her cold rice, shrimps with shells, and giving her fish parts full of bones. Whenever Ali tried to speak about her MIL's abuse to her husband, he always took the latter's side.
• My husband cheated on me and wanted to get divorced… But I said "no": The OP's mother-in-law bullied her for anything and everything, making her out to be a lousy wife to her husband. When she finally gave birth, the MIL tried to look after the OP's daughter by herself and even bullied her whenever the baby cried. However, the MIL's bullying ends up coming back to bite her when her husband leaves her for another woman after the OP divorced her own for the same.
• My wife was cheating on me with her coworker...: Mubio had to put up with Eiko's family after he let them enter his house, all of who bullied him along with Eiko herself. What's more, all of them leeched off of his money and drove him away. To make matters worse, when Eiko was cheating on him, all his in-laws praised the lover since he was richer than Mubio.
• Husband cheated on me and got another girl pregnant, but tried to give me the child: The OP's mother-in-law hated her for marrying for love and showed the extent of her true colors when she recommended her son cheat on the OP with another woman and then insult the OP herself for not being able to conceive and proceeded to gaslight her into paying ''them'' compensation.
• When my future mother-in-law tried to kill me…: Sukami was bullied by her mother-in-law, as she didn't tolerate her son Mubio marrying and leaving her alone afterward. Furthermore, the old hag tried to kill Sukami by having her drink expired tea, which Mubio finds out had dish soap mixed in.
• Found out my husband was cheating on me, then…: Ali's mother-in-law wanted her son Bob to marry Blair instead and compared her negatively to Blair, which drove Bob to dump his wife Ali for her. When the hag finally got what she wanted and paid Ali for damages, it didn't end well for her, as Ali sued Blair for damages while the latter's ex-husband sued Bob for damages as well; it goes downhill from there.
• Won the lottery, but then…: Bob's sisters-in-law both started bullying him for being a nerd despite him winning the lottery and wanted to kick him out of his condominium only to find out it belonged to him, with both his older and younger brothers telling them the truth.
• I was preparing alone for my mother-in-law’s birthday as usual...: Jill's mother-in-law Rose treated her like a slave and forced her to do the chores for her. Her husband Jack didn't do anything about his mother and didn't take her seriously, but when she was cooking for the guests at Rose's birthday, her brother-in-law Brian came over and found out about her treatment and chewed Rose and the rest of his family out for it.
• Mother-in-law doesn't appreciate my daughter's efforts to cook, so everyone got furious: Jenny's mother-in-law acted cold towards the former's daughter Jasmine while doting on her grandson. She even rejected the curry Jasmine made with the help of her aunt Jade, prompting Jenny to seek revenge. At the in-laws' golden anniversary party, Jenny decides to insult her MIL's cooking in the same way she insulted Jasmine's to teach her a lesson.
• My sister-in-law kept demanding money from me at every occasion, but I finally snapped: Hailey's sister-in-law always demands money from her, be it to spend it on herself or on presents for the SIL's daughter Nora, threatening to tell her husband if Hailey refused. When the latter brought up her own daughter, the SIL acted apathetic and ended the conversation. Hailey couldn't take it anymore and contacted her mother and brother when the SIL demanded money for transportation to her parents' house.
• "My sister-in-law said I wasn't part of the family…": Ali was mistreated by her mother-in-law Clair and her sister-in-law Blair. What's more, when Clair takes care of Ali's baby son Alex, she always messes it up and blames Ali for it. When Ali told her husband, John, he decided to not attend Blair's wedding. However, Ali talks him out of it as Blair is incompetent at housework.
• "My mother-in-law almost killed me, but my husband didn't care at all!": OP had to tend to her injured mother-in-law while putting up with the old crone's bullying and physical abuse. When her husband found out, he blamed his wife for "being so petty" towards his mom and even brought divorce papers to cow her into submission. However, she signs the papers and throws his stuff out behind his back.
• Crazy mother-in-law stabs a guy to try to get to me: After her son allowed her to move in with him and his wife Tanya, her mother-in-law picked on her for being a working woman. What's more, she even threw her birth control pills and her suit since she wanted Tanya to be a housewife instead.
• "Help me from my mother-in-law!!": Cherry's mother-in-law preached at her about having children and verbally abused her for her supposed inability to conceive after marrying Jethro. However, the abusive hag always did it behind Jethro's back and/or whenever her other son Bruce was around as the latter was silent and didn't butt into their matters.
• "Mother-in-law tells nephew to pull my chair away when I'm pregnant as a joke": Alisha's mother-in-law bullied her and tried to have her do the chores for her. When she turned it down, the MIL shouted vitriol at her and even called a locksmith to break into her house to wreak havoc all over it out of spite. When she and her husband went to their nephew Mario's fifth birthday, the old hag instructed the boy to pull Alisha's chair as a prank, almost causing her a miscarriage.
• "My sister came crying to us for help…": The OP's sister Ali was bullied by her mother-in-law for having two daughters instead of a son, her father-in-law Bob lusted after her and always entered her room to look at her breastfeeding or showering, on top of her husband abusing her.
• "I gave the ultimate punishment to my evil mother-in-law and her dumb son!": Yasmine's mother-in-law was a traditional full-time housewife and verbally abused her for being a working woman instead of a housewife. The sexist old crone's bullying reached a tipping point when she accused her of having an affair when she had a video meeting for work, which resulted in the MIL destroying Yasmine's work laptop.
• "My husband cheated on me and my mother-in-law offered me $40,000 to divorce him": When OP's boyfriend, Thomas, introduced her to his mother, she refused to let the OP marry him. When she tried to gain the mother's permission, she destroyed any gift given to her by the OP out of spite. When they went through with the marriage, the MIL doubled down on her abuse to drive the OP away. It turns out Thomas was childhood friends with the daughter of a wealthy investor named Melissa and their mothers knew each other well. The MIL was so determined to have Thomas marry Melissa that she encouraged their affair behind the OP's back. Eventually, the MIL corners her into divorcing Thomas in exchange for a sum of money, which the OP gleefully accepts.
• "My sister-in-law intentionally spilled soy sauce on my dress so I got my revenge": OP's sister-in-law, Michaela, constantly harassed her after marrying the former's brother. While she held back to avoid trouble with her kind mother-in-law, the SIL escalated by spilling soy sauce all over the OP's dress at her husband's cousin's wedding. Moreover, said the dress was a memento from OP's late mother, which drove her to fight back by spilling ink all over her SIL's room, ruining all her clothes.
• "Sister-in-law forces me to sign an agreement to receive inheritance but...": While Ethan went on a business trip abroad, his entitled younger sister Mindy harassed his wife, Alice, to hand over her father-in-law's inheritance. While Alice thought Mindy was joking after the consent letter she was served with had a typo, she realized that the greedy SIL was serious. When Ethan stormed back home upon learning of the news, Mindy told her to feign ignorance, which drove Alice to expose her at the FIL's funeral.
• "My mother-in-law would call me every hour to complain about a baby crying": Jessica's mother-in-law constantly called her through the landline to ask about the smallest things about her baby son. Moreover, when the OP brought up the landline's noise waking the baby up, the MIL blamed her for not caring for him enough. Even when Jessica unplugged the landline, the MIL stormed over to Jessica's house to chew her out personally. Furthermore, she refused to stop even when her son told her to. Fed up with the harassment, Jessica decided to have the MIL go through a test to verify if she had dementia.
• "My mother-in-law said I stole her cute son from her, so I gave him back": Thomas' mother constantly harassed his wife, Sarah, over her cooking for "stealing" him away from her. Even when Thomas blew up at the old crone for her behavior and moved away from her house, she constantly messaged Thomas, begging him to "return to his real self". When the MIL followed the couple to their new address to harass Sarah once more, she decided to call the police on the abusive crone, which stopped her harassment after the cops warned her.
• "My in-laws loved to pick on me but...": Ever since Angela married Thomas, his parents constantly bossed her around, even while pregnant with Ashley. Moreover, even Thomas refused to help her out while she cleaned the in-laws' house after an earthquake struck it, instead talking with his parents while she was alone cleaning. When Thomas took his parents' side when they demanded she build them a two-story house and even handed out a list of their extensive requests for it, this became the last straw for Angela, who divorces Thomas on the spot.
• "My mother-in-law was trashing me in public and refused to listen, and my husband lost it": Jessica's mother-in-law harassed her whenever Kevin was away and verbally abused her for anything she found objectionable. Moreover, Jessica kept silent and let her in for fear of making things worse. However, Jessica has had enough when the MIL chewed her out over the cup noodles she was eating, and threw a random ingredient at her face, which drove the old bag away. When Jessica tells Kevin about it, he's surprisingly pleased and tells his father about it. As a result, the MIL stopped showing up after the FIL chewed her out for berating Jessica's cooking despite her own being worse.
• "My mother-in-law started telling everyone that I hated her and wanted her to d*e" [sic]: Michelle's mother-in-law not only harassed her, but slandered her to the whole neighborhood as an abusive, and incompetent housewife who couldn't care for her baby daughter Kelly, making herself out to be a victim of Michelle's "abuse" to isolate her. While her husband Michael chewed his mom out for harassing her, the MIL refused to stop. Moreover, the MIL even came over to feed Kelly overseasoned baby food to prove how "tasteless" Michelle's cooking was, only for the baby to cry and piss the old bag off. However, the MIL ends up in trouble when Michelle caught her with a voice recorder while asking her about wanting her to die, and exposed her to both Michael and his father.
• "My mother-in-law tried to steal everything from me": Sarah's mother-in-law verbally abused her for being a full-time housewife. While her husband Ryan cut ties with the abusive hag and struck her off from his inheritance in his last will, the MIL refused to back down and demanded Sarah give her the inheritance money. When she refused, the MIL took a pair of scissors and threatened to murder the kids only for them to cower behind Sarah. Even after getting the cops called on her, she harassed Sarah by damaging her property and verbally abusing her from outside the door. However, it all came to a head when the MIL tried to break into Sarah's house from the second floor window only to slip and fall. While the MIL was okay, she became paraplegic from the fall and got arrested after the police found she had a hammer, matches, and kerosene.
• "My daughter threw away the birthday gift I gave her. A few years later...": The MC's father-in-law treated him coldly whenever his daughter and granddaughter weren't around. At first, the MC's wife sided with him, but she started to side with the FIL. While the MC stayed with his in-laws out of concern for his ailing mother-in-law, the FIL eventually escalated into keeping the MC out his daughter Macy's birthday party to make him look like a deadbeat dad. Eventually, the MC leaves after the FIL had him sign divorce papers and kicked him out of the house following Macy throwing out the gifts he bought for her.
• "My mother-in-law tried to put my daughter out for adoption behind our backs…": Ashley's mother-in-law constantly stalked and harassed her every time she could and even stole the groceries she bought before leaving. When Ashley became pregnant, the MIL seemed elated only to switch gears when told it was a girl, raking Ashley over the coals for not giving birth to a boy. Furthermore, the abusive hag even compared her to another mother next to her, who did give birth to a boy and refused to budge even when her own son chewed her out. Eventually, the MIL's abuse escalated into trying to put Ashley's daughter up for adoption when she became pregnant again with a baby boy this time.
• "A few days before the wedding, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law shredded my dress": The OP's mother and sister-in-law shredded her wedding dress to keep Jonathan from marrying her only to get caught and banned from the venue. However, the mother-daughter duo set out to harass her, especially for being allegedly infertile. Even when the OP showed her the results that confirmed that Jonathan was the infertile one, the MIL and SIL refused to believe her. Eventually, the abuse escalated when the MIL slipped food the OP was allergic to into the food, causing her to be rushed to the hospital. When the MIL kept verbally abusing her while she recovered, Jonathan cut ties with the old bag. Years later when they adopted a girl named Sarah, the MIL called the OP because the SIL left her kids with her while she went out to live with a man with whom she cheated on her husband.
• "Sister-in-law wore a white dress to my wedding and tried to steal the groom": Marisa's mother-in-law and sister-in-law both bullied her when her boyfriend introduced her to his family, but he and his father scolded them. Later on, Marisa finds out that the SIL was attracted to her brother as she not only demanded Marisa break up with him, but also tried to seduce him into marrying her instead. It turns out that the boyfriend and the SIL's parents were remarried after being cheated on by their respective parents, therefore making them not related by blood. Eventually, their behavior escalated when the SIL wore a wedding dress to Marisa's wedding, intent on making her poor brother marry her instead, with the sister grabbing the mic and pleading for him to marry her. As a result, Marisa's boyfriend and his father both cut ties with the women for their trouble.
• "When I was pregnant, my mother-in-law tried to force me to get a c-section": Emily's mother-in-law, Karen, was hellbent on one-upping the next-door neighbors, the Smiths, to the point of abusing Emily into cooking bigger dishes than theirs. This worsened when Emily became pregnant, as Karen harassed and hurried her to give birth before the Smiths' daughter, and when Sarah was born, the abusive old crone hurried her to talk and even had her go through several courses of whatever the Smiths' granddaughter was learning, causing the poor girl and her parents no end of grief. Eventually, the rivalry came to a head when the Mrs. Smith passed away and Karen celebrated it thinking she has won. Enraged by the crone's attitude so far, Emily, Kevin, and Sarah all cut ties with her and leave the house.