Written And Directed by John Waters
Chip: "Mom, are you a serial killer?"
Beverly: "The only "serial" I know anything about is Rice Krispies."
For the last two movies, we've gone down the musical route and forbidden love stories. Now, we've got a suburban housewife with something of a darker side.
Yup, that's Beverly Sutphin (Kathleen Turner). On the surface she appeared to be a devoted wife to husband, Eugene (Sam Waterson) and teenagers Misty (Ricki Lake) and Chip (Matthew Lillard). That's being the surface of course.
In reality, Beverly was a much darker person that delighted in making obscene phone calls to her neighbour, Dottie Hinkle (Mink Stole) over a parking space slight. Beverly's something of an easily slighted person. Even her litterbug neighbour Rosemary Ackerman (Mary Jo Catlett) came close to death a few times.
In fact, Beverly's reaction to being slighted went beyond obscene phone calls. Over the course of the movie, Beverly murdered various people who slighted or even mildly inconvenienced her family. That included a maths teacher, her daughter's cheating boyfriend and a patient and his wife of Eugene. Throw in an Annie obsessed neighbour and Chip's best friend, Scotty Barnhill (Justin Whalin) and Beverly's stacked up an impressive body count.
As a serial killer, Beverly's a campy delight to watch. She's completely in denial about her killer tendencies and her family's ongoing dread as the police close in on her was fun to watch. There's two detectives - Pike (Scott Wesley Morgan) and Gracey (Walt MacPherson) who delighted in finally catching her out.
The trial itself was the absolute highlight of the movie. Beverly representing herself and tearing apart the likes of Dottie and the detective to get off was brilliant. There's even a rather good use of Suzanne Somers as Beverly revealed her killer tendencies on poor Juror #8 (Patty Hearst). White shoes after Labour Day isn't a good idea around Beverly.
- John Waters voiced Ted Bundy for a brief scene. Mary Vivian Pearce popped up as a book buyer.
- Beverly had a thing for birds, specifically starlings. Her other taste in books however were more fitting for her crimes.
- Standout music: L7's Gas Chamber.
- Chronology: From May to October and of course in a suburban Towson, Maryland setting.
Serial Mom had me in absolute stitches. It's a delightful black comedy with Kathleen Turner on incredible form as the demented Beverly Sutphin. She's utterly charming and dangerous and there's too many laugh out loud moments among some horrifying scenes.
Rating: 8 out of 10

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