MOTHER'S DAY

Number 2 in 88 Films' much-touted new Slashers Collection, Charles Kaufman's MOTHER'S DAY makes a welcome debut onto UK blu-ray.

The film begins as a motivational speech in the middle of nowhere ends, and a young hippy couple from the city invite themselves for a lift into the nearest town from a little old lady (Beatrice Pons).

"I take what�s good from the city and the rest you can keep" she tells them when they appear to be belittling her backwoods sensibilities. They don�t know the half of it � but are soon to find out, when the lady stops in the road to check her engine. Suddenly, her masked sons Ike (Frederick Coffin) and Addley (Michael McCleery) turn up �

A decapitation, rape and vicious beating later, and we�ve been well and truly introduced to Mother and her two boys.

Then we meet Trina (Tiana Pierce), Jackie (Deborah Luce) and Abbey (Nancy Hendrickson): three young city women who have moved apart but have agreed to meet annually since graduating from Wolfbreath College some ten years earlier. On this particular anniversary, they arrange a reunion that involves a "mystery" weekend of camping out in the sticks.

Meeting up from their three now-disparate settings, the girls soon get back into the swing of their old friendship and their vacation begins as a typically jovial one. Upsetting the yokels at the nearby convenience store, skinny-dipping, sharing amusing tales of yore around an evening camp fire (listen out for "I Think We�re Alone Now" on the soundtrack!): it�s all good.

Until �

Yes, of course, our trio of trollops happen to have set up camp close to Mother�s remote, ramshackle country home. Once the girls are abducted and carried in their tied-up sleeping bags back to the house, Mother oversees an ordeal of excruciating humiliation as she orchestrates her boys to rape, maim and kill.

It�s the ultimate counter-culture showdown: can the city kids defend themselves against their hick aggressors? Quarrels regarding the merits of disco over punk; the constant blare of their family television; working out ROCKY-style; the commercial products that are littered throughout their home � Ike and Addley are country bumpkins who are obsessed with popular culture, just as much as the city characters who are prone for an early juncture to quoting lines from classic films. It�s this cultural subtext, the attacks on consumerism and a world where even backwoods types worship the cult of personality, that really intrigues. Factor in the interesting relationship of command enjoyed between the matriarch and her curiously conditioned, female-fearing sons, and

MOTHER�S DAY becomes something far above and beyond mere B-movie exploitation.

It is, rather, an extremely intelligent film and has been very well-crafted by writer-director Charles �brother of Lloyd� Kaufman. What a shame that he was never more prolific (he�s only made 5 films), as MOTHER�S DAY is as clever, observational and subversively funny as it is shocking and gripping.

Also, the performances are unusually good across the board. Once Ike and Addley get home and remove their masks they become even more sinister, thanks to the convincingly barbaric turns of McCleery and the impressively ugly Coffin.

Best of all though is Pons. Say what you will about Rebecca De Mornay � a good-looking woman, a decent enough actress, she should never have slept with Tom Cruise: I�d concur with all of those � but her turn in the 2010 MOTHER�S DAY remake isn�t a patch on the awesome Pons. She�s great, leering creepily over proceedings and egging her sons into doing terrible things with child-like glee. When she keeps them in line by warning of a monster called "Queenie" waiting for them in the surrounding woods, you understand the hold she could have over the boys. You can�t imagine her as being anything other than utterly demented.

Of course, MOTHER�S DAY is ultimately a revenge thriller. And, following some successfully uncomfortable set-piece scenes of sexual degradation ("walk like a little girl", spanking, rape caught on Polaroid snaps etc), the film really moves into gore territory when the tables are turned. In what is a stroke of genius, Kaufman has the girls use the family�s prized commercial products against them in their bid to escape.

Darren Lynn Bousman�s 2010 remake took liberties with this storyline and, while it had its moments, lacks the social insight, wit and intelligence of the original. As a result it seems a pointless exercise while it�s labelled with the same title: it�s soulless in comparison to this crazy, deceptively astute shocker.

For its UK debut, 88 Films appear to have used the same transfer of MOTHER'S DAY as the one that graced Troma's US blu-ray a couple of years back. Hence, the film looks utterly superb. Old VHS and DVD variants have been scratchy, dark and zoomed-in pan-and-scan affairs (I recall at one point Lloyd Kaufman insisting that the film couldn�t look any better, because the original negatives were lost). Not any more. MOTHER�S DAY is now presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 16x9 enhanced, and looks terrific in this sprightly, vibrant and remarkably clean 1080p HD transfer.

Lacking in compression issues, overt DNR and any undue image or edge enhancing, the film receives an extremely faithful and unfussy conversion to its MPEG4-AVC file here, retaining a fine layer of natural grain while proffering significant increases in colour, detail, texture � It's the only way to see the film.

The English Master mono audio is less impressive, but still perfectly serviceable. It does exhibit minor background noise and it�s fair to say that this 30-odd year-old low budget film wasn�t recorded using the best audio equipment � these things can only be polished up so far.

The disc opens to a nicely designed animated main menu page and discreet pop-up menus which include a scene-selection menu allowing access to the film via 12 chapters.

Extras begin with a grainy, pillarboxed US TV spot, and a 2-minute video introduction to the film from its director. This is sincere for the most part but descends into parody by its end. Note that this is a non-optional opening to the film�s presentation.

A 1-minute introduction from Rex Piano, Kaufman's personal assistant, is also proffered.

We also get a feature-length director�s commentary from the stammering Kaufman and Piano. The director is likeable, witty and open throughout: it makes for a highly engaging listen.

The film�s original 2-minute theatrical trailer looks worn and speckly but nice enough in its window-boxed ratio. It does however further accentuate the sterling job that the restoration guys have done on the main feature.

10 minutes of rare 8mm test footage is a joy to behold. Kaufman offers more commentary over this silent footage, filmed in 1979 and looking in remarkably good shape.

Eli Roth turns up to offer his thoughts on the film�s enduring appeal and its cultural subtext in an affable 13-minute featurette.

Trailers for a clutch of other 88 Films titles are also present, of course: GRADUATION DAY, PUPPET MASTER, THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, DEMONIC TOYS, BLOODY BIRTHDAY, TWO MOON JUNCTION, DOLLMAN, BLOODSUCKING FREAKS, PUPPET MASTER 2, PUPPET MASTER 3: TOULON'S REVENGE, TOURIST TRAP and CASTLE FREAK.

An 8-minute featurette from Comic-Con follows, in which Bousman interviews Kaufman. Or, at least, he would if he wasn�t so keen on the sound of his own voice. Poor Charles, he�s very gracious and just accepts that Bousman is full of his own self-importance.

But Charles gets the last laugh, thanks to this stunning new HD release of his brilliant MOTHER�S DAY. It reminds us that the remake is distinctly mediocre, and that sometimes it�s the nicest filmmakers who make the best films.

A nice booklet and double-sided cover artwork round off this impressive package for a much-loved cult classic.

Recommended.

Review by Stuart Willis