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Nancy Hendrickson, Deborah Luce, Tiana Pierce, Holden McGuire, Billy Ray McQuade ... see more see more... , Rose Ross , Karl Sandys , Ed Battle , Stanley Knapp , Marsella Davidson , Robert Carnegie , Scott Lucas , Bob Collins

Three women find their worst nightmares have become a reality in this horror film that combines extreme violence with dark, absurdist comedy. Abbey (Nancy Hendrickson), Jackie (Deborah Luce), and Trin... read more read more...a (Tiana Pierce) have been close friends since their college days, and they decide to celebrate their tenth class reunion by taking a vacation together. The women go camping in the woods of rural New Jersey; however, an idyllic few days in the great outdoors turn ugly when they're ambushed by a pair of subnormal thugs, Ike (Holden McGuire) and Addley (Billy Ray McQuade). Ike and Addley live in a garishly decorated hovel deep in the woods, where they gorge themselves on sugar, obsessively watch television, debate the merits of punk rock versus disco, and strictly obey the instructions of their aged Mother (Rose Ross) -- a vicious psychopath who goads her boys into acts of rape and murder, with Mother shouting encouragement throughout. When one of the women is killed by Ike and Addley, the other two escape, and they plot a gruesome revenge. Mother's Day developed something of a cult following after its initial release, and no small amount of controversy -- many feminist groups denounced its depiction of violence against women, while writer and director Charles S. Kaufman contended that he intended for the film to be viewed as a satire. The film was later reissued in a cut version that eliminated some of the more extreme scenes of rape and violence. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

43% liked it

2,525 ratings

Critics

45% liked it

11 critics

R, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Charles Kaufman

Release Date: September 1, 1980

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DVD Release Date: October 31, 2000

Stats: 177 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (177)

  • adammahler1
    July 1, 2011
    adammahler1
    Saw this because of Eli Roth. There are a couple of original shots and some funny moments, and in the gross-out, sadistic violence and celebration of crudity, it successfully does the horror movie as a Looney Tunes farce, although Joe Dante and George Miller have done that with f... read moreinesse. The misogyny turns so ridiculous and atonally repetitive -- "YuOU--BITCH! YuOU--BITCH! Yu-OU" get the idea -- the movie can't be a real satire of misogyny. It just makes misogynists men who can't seal the deal because they're either ugly and socially backward or trying to get into the pants of girls who aren't sufficiently deprived of self-esteem and brains. Its flippant vision of the consumer culture in the late twilight of the 70s is unique -- almost equal to Repo Man's early 80s take -- and frankly, I would have liked to see it in another movie.
  • ajv2688
    January 8, 2011
    ajv2688
    A crazy horror movie from Troma, I liked it for the most part, but there were some bad scenes too. It's okay for the most part, but the ending is confusing.
  • matertenebraum
    November 8, 2010
    matertenebraum
    Mother's Day is not only one of the earliest productions from Troma Studios, but it is also one of their more accomplished efforts (which, to be honest, isn't difficult given some of the absolute tripe they have made since they began). Although the film at first appears to be you... read morer typical Kaufmann/Herz trash, with amateurish acting, cartoonish characters, and an occasional attempt at puerile humour (the scene with the gormless stud left naked in the baseball field is a good example of this), it gradually develops into an irresistible combination of dark satire and straight-up, nasty exploitation.

    Part Texas Chainsaw Massacre, part Last House on the Left, part I Spit On Your Grave, and part Friday the 13th, with just a little bit of Deliverance thrown in for good measure, Mother's Day is a gleefully twisted take on the popular backwoods horror sub-genre. Deep in the wilderness, 'mother' can enjoy all that she considers good about the city (popular culture via TV, and cheap consumer goods) without actually having to live there; the only drawback is that she lives in constant fear of attack from her savage sister Queenie, who lives wild in the woods. Fortunately she is protected by her two devoted and demented homicidal sons, Ike (Holden McGuire) and Addley (Billy Ray McQuade).

    In order to keep her boys in tip-top fighting condition, she has trained them in the art of combat, using abducted hitch-hikers and back-packers to practise their techniques on. The terrible twosome bite off more than they can chew, however, when they kidnap three young women who are spending their weekend camping in the area: after one of the girls is raped and murdered by the sicko siblings, the remaining pair plan their escape and wreak bloody vengeance on their captors (attacking them with a variety of objects, including an axe, a TV set, and some Drano!).

    With its wicked parody of consumerism (the hideous family greedily devour junk food and collect mass-produced merchandising), wry swipes at new-age thinking and motherhood, and a fun 'surprise' ending, this film manages to be smarter than your average Troma tat, whilst still delivering the raw violence and sleaze that fans demand.

    What a shame Troma didn't continue in this vein, rather than resorting to churning out countless Z-grade B-movies designed to appeal to undiscerning adolescents.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    July 14, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    One of my 80's horror favorites, which seems to have an anti-female theme throughout; therefore the title fits. Clockwork Orange in some parts, Texas Chainsaw Massacre in other parts. A group of girls have a friendship reunion campout in the deep woods, but are soon dragged to an... read more old house of horrrors by a freaky old lady and her two dimwitted freaky sons. There is violence, torture and rape involved, which crossed the line of decency. I liked the characterization and dialogue of the maniacs; but was disturbed by some of their behaviour. Nice 80's synth soundtrack. There's a very memorable rope-burn scene, and a Shirley Temple scene I'd like to forget. The legend of Mother's deformed sister "Queenie" hiding in the woods, was as awesome as the Jason Voorhees legend. The ending was funny; I would've welcomed a sequel.
  • John2223
    March 26, 2011
    John2223
    I watched this movie in the late 80's and I just remembered a couple of scenes; I re-watched it because my girlfriend wanted to see it before checking the upcoming remake.
    "Mother's Day" is a very weird and cheesy piece of exploitation little film from the very beginning, and... read more it stays demented throughout the whole film. The movie starts with a cool death scene, then there is just a couple gory scenes and some moments of suspense. The acting was fine for the low budget and there's a lot of very dark humor through-out that you cant help chuckle at at least once.
    A trashy, sadistic, brainless, backwoods/horror flick.
  • divinetrash
    May 23, 2010
    divinetrash
    The first half of the movie is surprisingly solid for a Troma film, but after that it stops dead in its tracks looking for something to do and somewhere to go, which it never finds. The completely ridiculous "twist" ending was awesome, though.
  • cacutshaw
    October 16, 2007
    cacutshaw
    Excellent backwoods horror. Quite comedic, but the ending scared the daylights out of me when I was a kid. Too bad Troma has the rights to it, that means we'll never see a decent DVD of it.
  • PumpkinGetsASnakeBite
    May 8, 2011
    PumpkinGetsASnakeBite
    A completely unrated gem of a horror flick written and directed by Charles Kaufman (brother of Troma founder and creator of the Toxic Avenger Lloyd Kaufman). An insane domineering mother and her two hillbilly sons Ike and Addley live in psychotic bliss in the backwoods where they... read more commit acts of rape and murder to please their momma. Very sleazy, lots of tar black humor, but one hell of a fun time.
  • muveekween
    May 7, 2011
    muveekween
    Timber Falls is my favorite backwoods horror film. This movie was a mess. And what's with the title: Mother's Day? Once is enough for me on this movie.
  • RicC
    November 16, 2010
    RicC
    Mother's Day is, I think, my second Troma film, and more and more am I realizing that Troma is about independce and sleaze. It concentrates on one concept and hops to the next one as if with a mind of its own. The opening, for example, is a jolting start to a real fucked up story... read more, but then, it's about the firendship of women, but no, it's next about an irritating deranged family of kidnappers, etc. It was like channel surfing for me, but what's good is that only one portion dragged on - the rest were acceptable. As is usual, laughable props, and atrocious acting are present as the Troma trademarks of priceless cheapness. I wonder if this is perchance a partial inspiration to the Descent. Oh, and if you don't like Troma and what it stands for, this film is getting a high caliber remake, or so it seems, so you can view this movie with decent production.

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Critic Reviews

Tim Brayton
May 14, 2012
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

Even if it's a bad film... there are enough incidentals that aren't just good enough, but absolutely brilliant, that I can't help but want to give it a pass. Full Review

Dustin Putman
October 24, 2008
Dustin Putman, DustinPutman.com

Blends unthinkably nasty horror elements with perverse comedy, intimate drama, and outrageously on-target satire without missing a beat. Full Review

Rob Gonsalves
November 10, 2003
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

Seems to have more on its mind than just a body count. Full Review

Scott Weinberg
July 28, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

A bunch of nasty kill scenes in search of a plot (and scares).

May 4, 2012
New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Nick Pinkerton
May 2, 2012
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice

Click to read the article Full Review

Tom Buckley
August 30, 2004
Tom Buckley, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Anthony Quinn
June 10, 2011
Anthony Quinn, Independent

Click to read the article Full Review

June 10, 2011
Daily Telegraph

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Matthew Turner
June 9, 2011
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon

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Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Mother's Day Trivia

  • "One day some of the kids from the neighbourhood carried my mothers groceries all the way home! U know why? It was out of respect!"  Answer »
  • Alred Hitchcock had to stand at the foot of his mother's bed, and tell her what happened to him each day.  Answer »
  • What movie is this out of- "one day the kids in the neighborhood carried my mothers groceries all the way home. You know why? It was out of respect."  Answer »
  • In "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation", Clark discovers that he's a bit too good at stashing presents when he finds a gift from what holiday?   Answer »
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