An interesting flick with an interesting back story.

Some of you film historians may remember the 1980 "cult classic" Mother's Day, from Charlie Kaufman and Troma Films....most will not...luckily, as it was pure crap, IMO.  Filmed on a $150,000 budget and sporting the acting chops  and production values rivaled by 5th grade stage plays, this thing was pure shlock cinema at its worst...or best, depending on who you talk to.

Well, rumor had it that this was going to be getting the "big budget" upgrade a few years ago, and then it seemed to disappear.  Well, rest assured, it has resurfaced and deserved so much more than the meager overseas release it received.

Filmed in 2009 and released overseas in 2010, it finally made its way to DVD and the movie channels recently this year.  Budgeted at a respectable $11 Million, and shot in Canada, we actually have alot to be happy about.

This is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (of Saw fame) and stars an extremely spirited Rebecca De Mornay, in the titular role.  De Mornay hams it up and delivers what many, including myself would call one of her very best performances...ever!  For reals...I'm being very serious, and I've always actually thought Rebecca was a highly underrated actress.

OK, with me so far?  The original was a very basic backwoods slasher type flick with no redeeming values.  Here, we not only have an updated version, but actually, a completely revamped story that takes place nowhere near any woods, and is actually based on a true life crime story.

Why this didn't get an actual release, here in the states, is once again beyond me, although it's obvious this is far from mainstream, it still boasts plenty of talent in all phases of the game.  De Mornay's performance alone could have brought in at least $15-$20 Million, just by word of mouth, and although Bousman hasn't been riding high as of late, he's still a known commodity, IMO, at least.

We've all seen this kind of setup and story go down before, but there is quite alot of what I call "real" violence on display that can't be taken lightly.  It's a downright bloodbath and the FX are impressive.  The tension is also thick and it's clear early on that literally no one is sacred or safe in this little slice of life.

Not for the feint of heart, by any means.  Some brutal stuff happening here again and again.  Does it have its flaws?  Sure it does, but it definitely delivers and IMO, stands high above most of its horror kin.

Check it out and watch De Mornay scorch her way through a role that she must have had a blast playing.  

This was a bit long in the tooth for me...
But I dug the performances a lot.

And I really appreciated how much anguish and suffering characters went through.
It's something that's typically glossed over on most non-torture porn horror.

DeMornay chews up the screen as the bloody pot boiler unfolds.
Definitely worth checking out!

E.D.

A kick-ass flick.  Thanks for the heads-up, Jeff.  We took a break from a bit of a monster-horror run (October is all horror, all the time, in my house) for this one, and glad we did.  Great work from De Mornay, and an unusually well-rounded film overall.  In particular, some fantastic performances, unusual for this type of movie.  I dare say they may even have been better than Nicolas Cage in Trespass.

Jeff; when you say "titular," you actually mean "eponymous."  I did the exact same thing in a paper once and have never been able to get over it... ;D

Been meaning to watch this for a while and never got round to it, but I'll have to bump it up my queue. I remember reading the screenplay for this a while back when it was called 'Wichita' and it was a home invasion/supernatural horror, although I imagine they've dropped the supernatural element from this version!

It was actually based on a real crime, which makes it all the more horrific:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wichita_Massacre

Quoted from Heretic Jeff; when you say "titular," you actually mean "eponymous."  I did the exact same thing in a paper once and have never been able to get over it... ;D

Wow, thanks.  I did not know that.  Interesting.  Thanks.