Serial Mom (1994)
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A suburban housewife balances her domestic life with a secret habit of murdering neighbors over minor inconveniences.
The story
Beverly Sutphin is an unassuming upper-middle-class housewife living in Towson, Maryland, with her dentist husband Eugene and their teenage children. However, she harbors a dark secret: she is a serial killer who murders people over trivial slights or offenses. The family's life is disrupted when detectives begin questioning them about the vulgar telephone harassment of their neighbor, Dottie Hinkle. It is soon revealed that Beverly is the perpetrator, having targeted Dottie after a parking space dispute. As the police investigation intensifies, Beverly continues her violent spree against anyone who inconveniences her.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Beverly Sutphin, a seemingly normal housewife in Towson, Maryland, murders people for minor slights, including a neighbor over a parking spot and a teacher who criticized her son's interest in horror films. After her son's crush is stood up, she fatally stabs him. Her husband, Eugene, discovers serial killer memorabilia under their mattress, and the family fears Beverly will kill a friend named Scotty to silence him. Instead, she murders a couple who called Eugene for a dental appointment. When the police name her a suspect, she escapes during a church service and kills another woman at a video store before immolating Scotty during a rock concert. Beverly is put on trial, where she systematically discredits witnesses by exploiting their vices. Despite being the prime suspect, she is acquitted. Afterward, she murders a juror for wearing white shoes after Labor Day and gives a knowing look to Suzanne Somers, who plays her in a television film.
- First release year
- 1994
- Runtime (minutes)
- 93
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Waters
- Writers
- John Waters · writer
- Cast and characters
- Kathleen Turner · Beverly Sutphin; Sam Waterston · Eugene; Ricki Lake · Misty; Suzanne Somers · Beverly (television film)
- Genres
- satirical; black comedy; crime; thriller
- Themes
- suburban domesticity; true crime obsession; media sensationalism; violence
- Tone and mood
- satirical; black comedy; malicious; dark
- Premise and plot tags
- suburban; serial killer; satire; crime
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but has since become a cult classic. It was noted for its satire of wholesome entertainment and its depiction of media-driven crime coverage.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 24
- Production trivia
- The audio for Ted Bundy in one of Beverly's correspondences with the jailed killer is the voice of John Waters.; The American rock band L7 appears in the film as the band Camel Lips.; The film was screened out of competition as the closing night film at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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