Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- malicious
- macabre
- cult movie night
- dark comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly recognized John Waters's sharp suburban and media satire, while finding Kathleen Turner's committed performance either uproariously funny or tonally miscalculated.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Beverly's picture-perfect Baltimore neighborhood masks harassment, murder, and punitive moralism.
The film targets antiseptic family entertainment, upright civic respectability, and suburban do-gooders.
Beverly presents herself as a devoted housewife while secretly harassing neighbors and killing people who slight her family.
Misty sells merchandise outside the courthouse while the family's case attracts intense media attention.
Films like Serial Mom, and why
Blue Velvet
suburban domestic perfection concealing murderous violence, with dark satire and unsettling tonal contrasts
Parents
stylized serial-killer comedy that turns ordinary American life into grotesque social satire
Happiness
provocative black comedy centered on transgressive behavior, media spectacle, and suburban hypocrisy
Serial Mom
macabre humor, eccentric characters, and a gleefully subversive attack on respectable social norms
Movie Details
- Director
- John Waters
- Release Date
- 1994-04-13
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (794)
Cast
- Kathleen Turner
- Sam Waterston
- Ricki Lake
- Matthew Lillard
- Scott Morgan
- Walt MacPherson
- Justin Whalin
- Patricia Dunnock
- Lonnie Horsey
- Mink Stole
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Serial Mom about?
- A fiercely protective suburban mother turns neighborly etiquette into a gleeful campaign of harassment and murder.
- What is Serial Mom like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Serial Mom as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Serial Mom violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Serial Mom as moderate.
- What did critics think of Serial Mom?
- Critics broadly recognized John Waters's sharp suburban and media satire, while finding Kathleen Turner's committed performance either uproariously funny or tonally miscalculated.
- Which films are like Serial Mom?
- Films with a similar feel include Blue Velvet, Parents, Happiness, and Serial Mom.
- How long is Serial Mom?
- Serial Mom runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch Serial Mom?
- In United States, Serial Mom is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
