MOTHER'S DAY (1980) Directed by Charles Kaufman
Troma DVD
THE FILM
There's a lot to like about Mother's Day. There's also a lot not to like. Nobody ever said the rape-revenge business was easy.
I get it. Really, I do. Sarcastic pessimism, abstract pop culture references, heavy breathing POVs, somebody stepping in an enormous pile of shit; Mother's Day is a walk on the wild side. That is, if "wild" can be interpreted as "somewhat comedic". And so it shall. After all, this is 1980. The notion of adding some straight-up yuks to a slasher was still an infantile, pre-Student Bodies concept. Initially, Mother's Day scoots along like an early 80s version of H.G. Lewis's The Gruesome Twosome. Crazy mom. Wacky offspring. A little grisly, a lot goofy, and entirely unconvincing. In other words, plenty of fun.
Then, a woman is demeaned, beaten, and raped. Outside. In the dirt.
Mother's Day, you almost had it.
Siphoning the lovingly familiar "folks on a trip get caught by a nasty family and brought to a house for various repugnancies" through a hoop of vague satire, Mother's Day doesn't fully gel. The good stuff is accounted for. Enormous synths. Fruitful character development. Creative photography. An incredibly fierce climax. But, the two prevailing sentiments -- cynical sass and malicious exploitation -- don't mingle. They pull hair. They scratch. They gouge. And they do it to a standstill.
As the "rape-revenge" forerunner, The Last House On The Left didn't futz around. It was drunk with anger and confidence. Krug & Company made no allusions towards anything else. Even the kooky cops, who only bolstered the unnatural air with their odd antics, fell right in line. Mother's Day, while not as tactless as God's Bloody Acre, another Last House adherent, frustrates in its inability to take sides. It's neither frequently funny nor constantly offensive. It's just inconsistent. In the end, that inconsistency prevents total success, despite a number of primo backwoods-slasher distinctions. Well, that, and fifteen minutes of needless padding.
Apparently, the potato-chip-eating scenes in The Gruesome Twosome failed to make a lasting impression. Such is life.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Now out of production, ye olde Troma DVD looks quite nice. The full frame print is clean, exceptionally crisp, and loaded with bold colors. Vintage grain and an apt mono soundtrack cap it all off. I noticed a small amount of compression during busy moments, but that didn't detract from all of the gigantic eyeglasses on display. Also, judging from what Dan B. tells us, it appears that this "director's cut" utilizes the same master as the VHS.
EXTRAS
Troma makes it easy for us. Go ahead and skip every supplement while en route to the terrific commentary track. Ready?
Director Charles Kaufman (brother of Troma President Lloyd) and an unspecified Mother's Day crew'er (his name is Rex) sit down for a thorough, consistent, and all-around enjoyable 90 minutes of early 80s retrospection. A few seconds of silence crop up her and there, but on the whole, anything you've ever wanted to know about this film will be revealed. Charles even speaks at length on the pro-feminist slant, which was utilized "Because it was popular at the time". I believe him.
As for the other stuff, a couple of two minute interviews with Kaufman are more than covered in the commentary, the "Troma's Edge TV" segment feels like a "Rock" Nelson outtake (but not as good), and there isn't a trailer for the feature.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Aw, Ma. Mother's Day is tug of war between two competing tastes that don't go so great together. However, there's enough of that early slasher ardor to provide some satisfaction. See it, but don't get too riled up beforehand.
— Joseph A. Ziemba, 02.07.08 | 
We are laughing yet?
Scum mask
The morning after
Out of the pink
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