“Serial Mom” (1994) – Life appears normal in the Baltimore suburbs, and so do the Sutphins. Dad (Sam Waterston) is a successful dentist, Mom (Kathleen Turner) is a prideful homemaker, and their kids Misty (Ricki Lake) and Chip (Matthew Lillard) are well-adjusted teens, but yes, accompanied with their own sets of issues. Well, there is one glaring difference between the Sutphins and most other families: Mom is a serial killer.
Director/writer John Waters throws a monkey wrench in the form of Kathleen Turner into a sea of manicured neighborhoods, flea markets, video stores, and places of worship. Mom may look and act like Barbara Billingsley, but she carries the temperament of Buffalo Bill, and Turner is a tornado in her best performance since “Peggy Sue Got Married” (1987). Mom will set her sights on anyone who slights her family, so be sure to grant Dad, Misty and Chip Sutphins your most respectful discourse, or better yet, just stay clear.
Mom may be a psycho, but she won’t easily admit it, and in fact mentions, “The only serial I know anything about is Rice Krispies.”
Don’t believe her but do see this film!
Image credits: Savoy Pictures; Trailer credits: ScreamFactoryTV
