Charles Kaufman, brother of Troma co-founder Lloyd Kaufman, currently runs a bakery in San Diego that’s been operating since 1994. However, before entering the baking industry, Charles wanted to get into the film industry and attended UCLA’s film school. After graduating, Kaufman got a job working on the Bob Hope Show before moving on to making B-movies. Not having much luck in Hollywood, Charles decided to move back to New York to work with his brother Lloyd. His directorial debut was the 1977 adult film, The Secret Dreams of Mona Q, which Lloyd also produced. Around this time, John Carpenter’s Halloween was dominating the box office, and studios were trying to capitalize on its success. Seeing the potential in this, Charles decided to make his next project a horror film, albeit with some humor added. Made on a budget of $115,000, Mother’s Day was released in September of 1980.
%
Rating
Synopsis
Former college roommates Trina (Tiana Pierce), Abbey (Nancy Hendrickson), and Jackie (Deborah Luce) have an annual “mystery weekend” tradition. Each year, one of them picks a mystery destination for them to spend the weekend, and this is Jackie’s year. She plans a camping trip for the three of them at Deep Barons, a wooded area in rural New Jersey. One night, they’re stuffed into their sleeping bags and kidnapped by brothers Ike (Frederick Coffin) and Addley (Michael McCleery). The girls are brought before the brothers’ demented mother (Beatrice Pons), who subjects them to physical and mental torture. While the girls manage to escape, Jackie dies from her wounds, leaving Trina and Abbey to fend for themselves. After recovering, the girls head back to the house to get their revenge on the brothers and their mother. Truly, this will be one Mother’s Day they won’t soon forget.
Review
After having viewed Mother’s Day, I’m somewhat conflicted on my feelings towards the overall film, mostly due to the tone. When the girls are kidnapped and tortured, it’s effectively disturbing and uncomfortable, which makes the revenge all the more satisfying. However, several scenes are so ridiculous in between the disturbing moments, it’s hard to take it seriously. From what I understand, Charles Kaufman intended for this to have some satire, which many contemporary critics have noted. I can see where they’re coming from, given that the boys are raised on junk food and TV. Also, there are numerous pop culture references sprinkled in, such as a Star Trek poster and G.I. Joe action figures. It comes off as a satire of rampant consumerism, a society raised on popular media, and parental upbringing. Granted, I could be reaching for something deep in an exploitation film.
Directing-wise, Charles does well behind the camera, and the low budget gives it a very raw and gritty feel. In terms of acting, it’s about what you’d expect from this type of movie, though there are a few stand-outs. Credited as Rose Ross, Beatrice Pons steals the show as the demented mother who wants her boys to prove themselves. Frederick Coffin and Michael McCleery work well off each other as the dimwitted brothers and they have some good back-and-forths. Speaking of, Tiana Pierce, Nancy Hendrickson, and Deborah Luce have decent chemistry, and you feel for what they’re going through. While the film clocks in roughly 90 minutes, much of the runtime is padded out with a pretty meaningless filler. These slower scenes do detract from the film, but it’s almost expected for this era of exploitation film. Overall, Mother’s Day is a bit disjointed, but it’s still a good time.
Buy Mother’s Day from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2QMdq76
