Once you hear the title John Waters, Serial Mother in all probability is not the primary of his movies to pop into your head. You may consider certainly one of his earlier cult movies like Pink Flamingos and A number of Maniacs or his musical comedy Hairspray, however his foray into the slasher style with Serial Mother was forward of its time in methods even Waters could not have imagined. Kathleen Turner provides a pitch-perfect efficiency as Beverly Sutphin, a faithful housewife who goes on a killing spree in her idyllic suburban neighborhood, turning her right into a nationwide celeb and incomes her the titular nickname, Serial Mother. On the floor, Beverly is the final lady you’d count on to see chasing a teenage boy down the road with a kitchen knife, however Beverly shouldn’t be your common serial killer. She would not kill for no cause, however in retaliation towards those that break social norms, exhibit dangerous manners, or slight certainly one of her members of the family. This absurdly hilarious black comedy can also be a prescient satire of the American cultural obsession with true crime and the celebrification of serial killers and different infamous criminals that is solely turn out to be extra related 30 years later.
‘Serial Mother’ Depends on Kathleen Turner’s Impeccable Efficiency
Serial Mother hinges on Kathleen Turner’s efficiency, and her comedic brilliance as Beverly Sutphin can’t be overstated. Based on Turner, her brokers begged her not to take the role, insisting that working with John Waters, a B-movie director, would destroy her profession, and we should always all be grateful she did not heed their recommendation. Waters’ razor-sharp script and supporting performances from Ricki Lake, Sam Waterston, and Matthew Lillard spherical out the movie, however Turner ties the entire thing collectively. A variety of different high-profile actresses had been thought of for the position, together with Julie Andrews and Meryl Streep, nevertheless it’s exhausting to think about anybody else pulling off what Turner does in Serial Mother.
There are two sides to Beverly — the doting, all-American housewife and the deranged serial killer — and Turner seamlessly alternates between these two identities from one second to the subsequent. She makes obscene cellphone calls to her neighbor Dottie Hinkle (Mink Stole) with unbridled pleasure, laughing like somewhat child after each foul-mouthed insult she hurls her method. After her daughter is stood up by the man she is crushing on, Beverly impales him with a fireplace poker and by accident yanks out his liver, gagging in disgust as she’s pressured to flick it off together with her finger. When Beverly represents herself at her personal homicide trial, she mouths obscenities to Dottie whereas she’s on the stand testifying towards her, inflicting Dottie to lash out whereas she maintains her facade of innocence and poise in entrance of the decide and jury (“Let the file present I’m merely standing right here”). Beverly is not meant to be a personality we actually sympathize with, however Turner’s dynamic efficiency makes her somebody you need to root for.
Beverly Sutphin Is Not Your Common Serial Killer
Serial Mother turns frequent grievances and social fake pas into offenses punishable by loss of life. Beverly’s bloodlust would not stem from her dissatisfaction with the trimmings of her place in society as a housewife, however is triggered by different individuals’s deviations from social norms she considers to be set in stone. She really does take care of her husband Eugene (Sam Waterston) and their youngsters Misty (Ricki Lake) and Chip (Matthew Lillard), so anybody who wrongs them receives swift and lethal punishment. Beverly’s acts of kindness are veiled manipulations, utilizing her attraction to deflect suspicion and keep one step forward of the police. After one or two kills, you come to acknowledge the type of habits that units her off and the precise second she decides to homicide her subsequent sufferer, and making an attempt to determine how she’ll do it turns into a enjoyable guessing recreation till the cops ultimately apprehend her.
Beverly has a really specific code of ethics. She loves gore movies and obsesses over serial killers, however do not you dare chew gum in her neighborhood or put on white sneakers after Labor Day. Beverly embraces and seeks to uphold the arbitrary social norms that make her world go spherical, and dangerous manners or wronging certainly one of her members of the family makes her see purple. Anybody who’s handled an annoying buyer or had somebody steal the parking spot they have been ready patiently for may discover themselves cheering her on as she enacts her comically violent revenge.
‘Serial Mother’ Was Forward of Its Time in Some Shocking Methods
When you had been to look at Serial Mother with out understanding the precise date of its launch, you may assume Waters was making mild of the OJ Simpson case, from the sheer variety of police automobiles chasing Beverly by the suburbs of Baltimore to the media circus surrounding her trial. Extremely, Serial Mother hit theaters in April 1994, simply two months earlier than OJ Simpson was arrested for the homicide of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman after a high-speed police chase. Thought of the “trial of the century,” the OJ Simpson trial was a cultural touchstone that will eternally change the American media’s method to true crime, and almost 15 years later, the Casey Anthony trial would equally seize the nation’s consideration with nonstop media protection. In a 2017 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Waters mentioned, “These days, this sort of film, for actual, is on each cable community. It’s a scores assure,” and in 2024, that is more true than ever.
As Chip and his girlfriend Birdie (Patricia Dunnock) assist Beverly evade the police, Beverly asks if she’ll want a lawyer, to which Chip replies, “You want an agent!” Ultimately, Beverly is arrested after killing Chip’s buddy Scotty (Justin Whalin) throughout a rock live performance, however the legend of Serial Mother had already unfold to this point, the group chants her new nickname because the police drag her away in handcuffs. By the point the trial rolls round 5 months later, the film rights to “Serial Mother” have been bought, with Suzanne Somers slated to play Beverly. With Serial Mother, Waters meant to satirize the true-crime style, and 30 years later, it looks as if he predicted the long run. Except for the numerous true-crime documentaries, podcasts, and YouTube channels on the market, fictionalized true-crime series (and films) are just as, if not more, popular. Killers, drug sellers, scammers, and different criminals have their tales retold on display screen on a regular basis, typically only a few years after the actual life occasions came about. And if the perpetrators are nonetheless alive, these fictionalized retellings may also help enhance them to celeb standing.
Some more moderen examples of this could be Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Anna Delvey, each of whom had fictionalized collection made about their lives and crimes — The Act and Inventing Anna respectively — earlier than both of them had been launched from jail. Blanchard now has her personal actuality present, Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up, and Delvey is presently competing on Season 33 of Dancing With the Stars. In fact, neither of those ladies are serial killers, however the way in which they’ve turn out to be public figures through their legal historical past speaks to the cultural fascination with feminine criminals particularly, and hearkens again to the celebrification of Serial Mother‘s Beverly Sutphin.
Serial Mother additionally contains a pre-Scream Matthew Lillard, and affords a lot of the identical social commentary Wes Craven‘s franchise would later turn out to be identified for. Followers of Scream and different horror comedies like Scream Queens and What We Do in the Shadows will admire Serial Mother‘s mix of comedy. A few of Waters’ cult movies could be a bit too filthy for many viewers, however Serial Mother is the proper movie to get a really feel for his fashion and humorousness with some moments which can be stunning, however not too stunning. It could have been a field workplace flop, however Waters truly considers Serial Mom to be his best film, and it is positively value a watch earlier than it leaves Netflix on the finish of the month.
Serial Mother is offered to stream on Netflix in the US till September 30.
