Mother's Day 1980 - Review - '80s Slasher
Release Date: September 12th, 1980
Tagline: "I'm so proud of my boys--theynever forget their mama."
Budget: $115,000
Mother's Day is a 1980 American horror-thriller film, directed, co-written and produced by Charles Kaufman, brother of Troma Entertainment co-founder Lloyd Kaufman, who served as an associate producer for the film.
A memorable scene in the film is soundtracked by I Think We're Alone Now by 1960s bubblegum pop band Tommy James & the Shondells.
Plot[]
The plot begins with the long-time friendship of three women, Abbey (Nancy Hendrickson), Jackie (Deborah Luce), and Trina (Tiana Pierce), who reunite every year to take a camping trip. Once while setting their vacation up in the woods, they find their trip turns into their worst nightmare when they are captured by a group of two partially insane punk/"hillbilly" hybrids: Ike (Holdem McGuire) and Addley (Billy Ray McQuade). The punks lead a comfortable life, living along with their mentally abnormal mother (Rose Ross) in an occult hovel situated amidst the wood. All through the movie, their mother goads her sons into acts of rape, violence, and murder. Eventually one of the women is severely brutalized by Ike and Addley, and the remaining two escape before the first dies from her sustained injuries. They soon regroup, arm themselves, and set out for bloody revenge against Ike, Addley, and Mother. After the girls take their revenge at the end of the film, as they are about to leave the woods they are attacked by the mother's deformed sister, Queenie.
Notes[]
- Due to its scenes of violence and rape, Mother's Day is often considered an exploitation film. Although not particularly successful at the time of the release, it has since garnered a cult following among horror/exploitation fans.
- The United Kingdom's film rating board (BBFC) rejected the film in 1980, banning it from distribution.[2] The film was shown several times on the Horror Channel between 2006–08, with no cuts but it has still not received a DVD release in the UK making its status there somewhat ambiguous.
- In Australia, the film was originally passed uncut with an R 18+ in 1983 by the Australian censors but was later banned when reviewed in 1985.
- Mother's Day received a VHS release in the mid-80s by Media Home Entertainment, and later by Video Treasures. It was released on DVD in 2000[6] by Troma Entertainment. The Blu-ray was released September 4, 2012 by Anchor Bay Entertainment.[7]
- A remake of Mother's Day has been completed. The new version is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and produced by Brett Ratner.[8] The remake was released at Fantastic Fest in September 2010 and in the United Kingdom in June 2011. The film received several push backs, but was released on DVD, and Blu-ray, March 8, 2012.
Review[]
Villains[]
Credits[]
| Directed by | Charles Kaufman |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Michael Herz
Charles Kaufman |
| Written by | Charles Kaufman Warren Leight |
| Starring | Nancy Hendrickson
Deborah Luce |
| Music by | Phil Gallo Clem Vicari, Jr. |
| Cinematography | Joseph Mangine |
| Edited by | Daniel Loewenthal |
| Production company |
Mach Studios, Inc. |
| Distributed by | Troma Entertainment
United Film Distribution Company |
| Release date(s) | *September 12, 1980 |
| Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $115,000[1] |
- Nancy Hendrickson as Abbey
- Deborah Luce as Jackie
- Tiana Pierce as Trina
- Rose Ross as Mother
- Holden McGuire as Ike
- Billy Ray McQuade as Addley
- Robert Collins as Ernie
- Karl Sandys as The 'Dobber'