MOTHER'S DAY  (1980)
Director: Charles Kaufman
Writers: Charles Kaufman (writer)
Warren Leight (writer)
CAST---
Nancy Hendrickson ...  Abbey
Deborah Luce ...  Jackie
Tiana Pierce ...  Trina
Frederick Coffin ...  Ike (as Holden McGuire)
Michael McCleery ....Addley (as Billy Ray        
                                                  McQuade)
Beatrice Pons ...  Mother (as Rose Ross)
Robert Collins ...  Ernie
Peter Fox ...  The 'Dobber' (as Karl Sandys)

Runtime: 90min.

I am not a fan of Troma films. For the most part, anyway. I couldn’t stand “TERROR FIRMER” and I hated
“CLASS OF NUKE’EM HIGH”. However, strangely enough I loved “TOXIC AVENGER 4” and
“POLTRYGEIST” looks like it’ll be a blast. But usually, if the box art carries the mark of Troma I will stay far
away. They don’t make my type of films, and I’ve grown to accept that. Perhaps that’s why, in the wild days
of the video store era, I always seemed to pass up renting “Mother’s Day”. In my burgeoning horror fan
days (my formative years) I saw it every damn time I went to rent something. I may have even picked it up
once and a while. But there was something about it that made me put it down…ALWAYS!
It disappeared from my memory for a long stretch of time until recently when horror director Eli Roth (CABIN
FEVER, HOSTEL) started programming some double-features for the New Beverly in California. It was
paired with “CREEPSHOW”, which I went to see, deciding to bite the bullet and finally see “MOTHER’S DAY”
as well.
Directed by Lloyd’s brother Charles Kaufman, (who was in attendance, and had later chosen to go into the
bakery business instead of the film business) this film is considered to be Troma’s first horror film. And even
in these early stages, this movie shows you how Troma began developing its brand of humor.
Essentially, this film is a rip-off (homage) to “TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE”. A trio of 80s-chic girls head
into the woods for their annual get-together. Even after having been warned by the crazy general store
owner, they continue to camp out and inhabit the same woods that Ma and her boys, Ike and Addley, call
home. After bonding in classic chick-flick fashion, the girls are kidnapped by the boys and are summarily
tied up, tied down, and made to entertain mother. I won’t go into much detail, because this is one of those
movies that has to be seen to be believed. It isn’t incredibly gory and Troma had only begun to hit its
outlandish factor. But this is definitely a film worth watching, whether you like Troma or not, because they do
a fine job with the crazies-in-the-woods story.
At 90-some minutes the film movies along quickly, except for a few lame scenes in the beginning featuring
the girls talking about themselves (character development is overrated, I say!). But with a few great
performances, namely Beatrice Pons as Mother, a very realistic and disturbing rope burn sequence and a
great axe to the nutsack scene this film redeems itself, becoming a solid horror flick with a dash of
intentional humor. This one almost makes Troma look good…ALMOST!

                                                                                  - Jose Prendes
                                                                                      
-                                                                                                                     
Mother's Day (1980)
Seen it too? Let us know what you thought.

OVERALL
BLOOD
BREASTS
BEASTS