Serial Mom

Film Review by Scott McKellar | 31 Jul 2013
Film title: Serial Mom
Director: John Waters
Starring: Kathleen Turner, Sam Waterston, Ricki Lake, Matthew Lillard
Release date: 5 Aug
Certificate: 18

Beverly Sutphin is the perfect wife, the perfect mother, and “f*cking nuts!” Queer cinema hero John Waters’ deliriously dark slice of serial killer mayhem has Kathleen Turner butchering anyone who stands in the way of her family’s happiness. Despite the gore, Serial Mom is a broad farce and Waters is at home sending up the ridiculousness of suburban America and the country’s love of true-crime and court TV.

With its over-the-top violence and instantly quotable (and disgusting) dialogue, Serial Mom is impossible to take seriously and often very funny. Turner is especially good, shamelessly throwing herself into the part as the demented bird-obsessed hausfrau. Some fans may complain that Waters is selling out, but with a respectable budget and a simple concept, Serial Mom remains one of the director's most polished and accessible works. The film deserves more love than this bare-bones Blu-ray release but this is still essential viewing for filth mongers and foul-mouthed perverts everywhere. [Scott McKellar]

Serial Mom is released on Blu-ray by Universal