Serial Mom - Collector's Edition DVD Review

Posted by Shawn S. Lealos on 05.11.2008

Can a movie about a sociopathic, serial killing, suburban housewife be funny? Hell yeah!

Written and Directed by John Waters (Hairspray)
Cinematography by Robert M. Stevens (Dude, Where’s My Car)
Music Score by Basil Poledouris (Cecil B. DeMented)

Kathleen Turner (The War of the Roses) … Beverly R. Sutphin
Sam Waterston (Law and Order) … Eugene Sutphin, D.D.S.
Ricki Lake (Hairspray) … Misty Sutphin
Matthew Lillard (Scream) … Chip Sutphin
Scott Wesley Morgan (A Dirty Shame) … Detective Pike
Walt McPherson (Donnie Brasco) … Detective Gracey
Justin Whalin (Dungeons and Dragons) … Scotty Barnhill
Mink Stole (Lost Highway) … Dottie Hinkle
Mary Jo Catlett (The Benchwarmers) … Rosemary Ackerman
Traci Lords (Cry-Baby) … Carl’s Date
Lonnie Horsey (Buried Alive II) … Carl Pageant
Suzanne Somers (Three’s Company) … as herself



Rated R for satirical presentation of strong violence, vulgar language, and sexual episodes.

The Film

Satire (sat-ahy r) – noun - the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.

In 1994, Oliver Stone faced a blitzkrieg of media fueled controversy when he released Natural Born Killers, a satire of the media’s glamorization of serial killers. Due to the graphic nature of the violence Stone presented, it was argued he was indulging in the same kind of behavior he was criticizing the media for. The same year, another controversial director made the same type of movie, in a strikingly different style, with little to no scrutiny.

John Waters has been called “The Duke of Disgust.” He has made many cult classics notable for their bad taste, transgressive themes, trash-pop iconography, and sexually explicit situations. With films like the disgusting Mondo Trasho and grindhouse classic Pink Flamingos, it is understandable why Waters is known primarily for his trashy films. However, one only needs to look at his filmography to see classic films such as Hairspray, Cry-Baby and Serial Mom to understand Waters is not a one-trick pony.

Serial Mom begins with a look at the classic Leave it to Beaver family unit. Kathleen Turner stars as Beverly, the seemingly perfect suburban housewife and mother. When we first see her, she is making breakfast for her family – husband Eugene and children Misty and Chip. However, it is clear from the start there is something wrong with this family unit.

As we move on, we learn that Chip has an unhealthy obsession with violent horror films, watching movies such as Blood Feast, Zombie and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He goes as far as to refer to Blood Feast as the Citizen Kane of gore movies. Misty is a teenage girl who wants attention from boys and seems willing to do whatever it takes to gain their affection. Eugene is just oblivious to the fact that his wife hides serial killer novels inside her books about bird watching.

Finally, we get the reveal that Beverly is not the perfect suburban housewife when she goes into her bedroom and makes a phone call. The first thing that comes out of her mouth is “Hello? Is this the cocksucker residence?” Brilliance. We are then given this character, a sociopathic serial killer, to follow as the protagonist. She is a fan of infamous serial killers, and actually has a Christmas card from John Wayne Gacy and a taped message from Ted Bundy as keepsakes. This is the person we are supposed to be cheering for?

Waters directs all the murders in an over-the-top manner, and never comes close to the level of brutality of Natural Born Killers. How brutal can it be to be beaten to death with a leg of lamb? All the deaths are also done in a comic manner, with Water’s camera work taking everything to the edge and then stepping maybe one step too far. How brutal is it when Beverly has to remove an internal organ from a fire poker and then slips on it as she leaves the murder scene? It is through these strange mishaps that Serial Mom works so well as a black comedy.

The best comedy comes from contrasting the perfect suburban existence with that of a sociopathic killer. Is it really necessary for a person to die because they wear white shoes after Labor Day? Is a person deserving of ridicule and torture because they stole your parking space at the super market? In this film, those are definitely offenses to warrant dire punishment. The best part of the film is how Waters shows that living a perfect life in the eyes of public perception may be just enough to finally drive a person over the edge.

The movie changes direction when Beverly is arrested and faces a jury of her peers. Representing herself, she is able to take every good, law abiding person who takes the stand against her and prove no one is as pure and innocent as they would have you believe. The way she turns all the clear evidence against her into positives that help her case is Water’s final argument that the perfect life may not be that perfect after all.

While Natural Born Killers polarized audiences with its brutal in-your-face violence, it is John Waters who, for a change, played subtlety to perfection. Yes, serial killers were once again glamorized in this movie, but it is crystal clear that it is being done in good humor and at the expense of suburban housewives everywhere. Serial Mom is a very funny movie that is a perfect example of how satire should be done. It also might be John Waters’ finest straight film to date.

The Video: Digitally remastered picture in anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1.
The Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1

The Extras

Serial Mom: Surreal Moments (29:04) – This is a feature filled with present day interviews, and a great making of documentary. They talk to most of the people involved about the casting, production design and story. They also place it in context with the filmography of John Waters. The interview with Sam Waterston is worth the price of admission, as he seems completely out of place with his role in this movie. The only person they do not talk to is Kathleen Turner, but her appearance on the commentary track makes up for that loss.

The Kings of Gore: Herschell Gordon Lewis and David Friedman – (11:24) – This is a feature about the creators of Blood Feast, Two Thousand Maniacs and other films that were instrumental to John Waters as a young film fan. Waters describes the drive in theater as his film school. He also had the opportunity to interview Herschell Gordon Lewis and the best part of this featurette is the interview footage with both the legendary gore filmmaker as well as his producer, David Friedman.

The Making of Serial Mom (6:10) – This is a pretty dull (and censored) making of, the kind you would expect from an HBO promotional spot. Ignore this one and just watch Surreal Moments.

Feature Commentary with Director John Waters and Star Kathleen Turner – There is a woman on the track who tries to direct the conversation between Waters and Turner towards specific topics. The two mention that the reason Turner came aboard was because the violence would not be taken to the extreme, yet Waters mentioned that all the violence would be taken seriously, playing all the ludicrous incidents straight.

Feature Commentary with Director John Waters – This is a commentary track with just Waters as he talks about influences and how he cut certain shots. He also takes time to discuss the United State’s determination of placing sex as a worse offense than violence. This is the more educational of the two talk tracks, where the joint track is more a trivia track.

Theatrical Trailer

The Film: 8.1/10.0
The Extras: 10.0/10.0

The 411: Serial Mom is one of John Water’s most accessible films. With biting humor and a smart script, this tale of a serial killing mom knocks it out on every level. The Collector’s Edition is filled with great extras including two fun commentary tracks and a great feature in Surreal Moments. I highly recommend this DVD to anyone looking for a great laugh.

Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]