Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2020
Images from the Internet
This is a nice set. Presented along three discs are the main feature, Mommy, and the sequel Mommy’s Day. The first disc is the two films on Blu-ray, the second is the same two on DVD, and the third, a DVD, is the extras. And there are a lot, but more on that later.
While not directly linked to the 1956 film The Bad Seed that shot child actor Patty McCormack to temporary stardom (though she has acted consistently through the years, I’m happy to say), many people consider these to be unofficial sequels of the character of the film if she had grown up and become a mother herself. Director Max Alan Collins, more known as a writer of a multitude of books often in the dark and detective genres, has not public denied that, either, as far as I can tell.
Mommy
Directed by Max Allan Collins
M.A.C. Productions / VCI Home Video / MVD Entertainment
89 minutes, 1995 / 2019
Truthfully, I haven’t seen Mommy since I rented it out from my local Video Video (that was the store’s name) emporium back in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, when it first came out in VHS. What did I think of it then? I barely remember it; I was renting out so much and it didn’t reach the replay heights of the likes of any directed by Stuart Gordon. At the time, I did not yet know who was Max Allan Collins.
I have always wondered if somewhere this was inspired (or vice-versa) by the John Waters’ film, Serial Mom (1994), which also deals with a mother who is out on a killing spree without guilt through righteous indignation, though with a bit more humor and camp. Either way, they are both interesting bookends of the same state of homicidal mind.
Taking place in the real town of Muscatine, Iowa (the director’s birthplace), the madre in question (Brooklyn-born Patty McCormack) is upset that her daughter, Jessica Ann (Rachel Lemieux) – who narrates the film – is not picked for an award as Outstanding Student in the local school. She’s upset that it has gone to a child of Mexican background. While the whole film is not socially weaponized, this particular incident of racial politics sticks out a bit as Mommy comes across as a raging racist, rather than just an upset mother. Jessica Ann doesn’t really care, but will the apple fall far from the tree? That is kind of where the film seems to be heading, but whether or not that’s true, well, you’ll have to see for yourselves, now, woncha?
Of course, Mommy’s reaction to the above incident leads to a very unfortunate series of events that affects her, her family such as her sister Beth (Brinke Stevens in a strong, supporting role), and the police detective on her trail, Lt. March (Jason Miller, an amazing actor, mailing it in for this one; d. 2001). In supporting cameo roles are the likes of Majel Barrett (d. 2008) between all her Star Trek duties and mystery writer Mickey Spillane (d. 2006).
Through it all, Mommy keeps her wits – well definitely with a bit of icy hostility – as she nonchalantly excuses the events of her own causing. This is beautifully summed up in her comment to Jessica Ann after a murder, “A little unpleasantness is not going to stand in the way of good nutrition!”
Collins uses his screenplay to both give a nod to both the original Bad Seed film, and the novel it was based on. For example, the police lieutenant March is obviously a shout out to the novel’s author, William March. Also, in the book and film, the titular character kills for a nod in scholastic achievement; here it’s the Outstanding Student award, while previously it was over a medal for perfect penmanship.
Also, in the original story, it’s the apartment’s maintenance man who catches on to what is going on and pays the price for it, and now it’s the school janitor, Miss Jones (Sarah Jane Miller) who pushes the right buttons at the wrong time.
While this isn’t classic and great cinema, it is a strong low-budget feature and that is obvious. It was also an early outing for Collins. For what it is, it’s more a character study with some thriller thrown in than just a shoot-em-up slasher kind of thing. The body count isn’t huge, but you understand the motivation behind each one, which makes up for that.
McCormack is wonderful in her role, playing both panic and icy at the same time (not easy), gnashing her teeth behind dark red lipstick with glee. This was a collaboration between her Bad Seed character and the adult Mommy. Clearly Jessica Ann is going to need a lot of therapy to get over all this mess. And, luckily, there is a sequel.
Mommy 2: Mommy’s Day
Directed by Max Allan Collins
M.A.C. Productions / VCI Home Video / MVD Entertainment
88 minutes, 1997 / 2019
The sequel was released just a couple of years later, largely with the same cast, sometimes in different roles. For example, the three female leads, Mommy (McCormack) – still no first name given – Jessica Ann (Lemieux) and Beth (Stevens) are the same. However, the janitor Sarah Jane Miller returns as her own conniving sister, and the late Michael Cornelison, who played the dubious love interest for Mommy in the first, is a totally different character here, again in a wannabe relationship with Mommy.
There has been some growth since the first release, both in style and in the literal sense. First the latter: Jessica Ann is older and into her early teens with braces. She’s also developing a teen attitude and is a bit of a mean girl. I’m sure it’s supposed to imply she’s her mother’s daughter. Her Aunt Beth, who was so sweet in the original, is now quite forceful and snarky in her taking care of Jessica Ann, perhaps showing some things run in a family? This is leading the viewer in directions I am not going to discuss as it is a key plot point, but I was expecting someone to start singing “Lucy Harper took an ax…”
Adding to the cast is Paul Peterson (where’s Shelley Fabares singing “Mommy Angel”?!) as Beth’s husband and the person who wrote the tell-all book about the Mommy murders. With this mix of the new and the old, Mommy’s Day actually turns out to be a better picture than the first. Collins has now had some experience with filmmaking under his belt, there is less reliance (even ancillary) on The Bad Seed, and everyone seems more comfortable working with each other. Yes, there is still some self-referential stuff going on, such as Mommy saying, “Don’t you know the sequel is never as good as the original?!,” though in a different context, this is played more for a wink and grin than anything else.
While in need of some shortening and editing – especially a ridiculous death row prison segment near the beginning – the writing is a bit tighter than in the first release. Here there is some actual tension, and the inclusion of a Jerry Springer/Sally Jesse Raphael-type audience participation talk show that goes from bad to worse in a bang works really well in the story, especially for the timeframe.
The bloodletting is a bit more, and there are hints of (female) nudity – even an obligatory shower scene which rose to prominence around then – shows more bits (though nothing complete).
This sequel is definitely more fleshed out in personalities and plot devices, but I would honestly say to watch the original Mommy before watching the second. And then, maybe, throw in some Serial Mom after for an additional hoot.
Disc 3 Extras
Of course, if it needs a separate disc, you know there will be extras abound.
The start is from a 1995 “Entertainment Tonight” episode (3 minutes) where the premiere of the film is discussed by Leonard Martin (what, no Siskel and Ebert? Joe Bob Briggs?). Basically, the theme is that there is even film life in Iowa. Interviews include with director Collins and star McCormack.
After the Mommy original trailer is the “Mommy Bloopers” (17 minutes), which is just what you would expect, but in this case, it really shows that the cast and crew were both having fun, worked in a collaborative fashion, and got along. Many other bloopers reels I have seen of late tend to show the same takes over and over until tedium sets in for the viewer. Here, there are some duplicates, but nothing that is wearying. A cool collection.
A “Mommy PBS Documentary” (8 min.) follows, which essentially is very similar to the Entertainment Tonight one, namely “the film shot in Iowa.” There is a bit more context on Collins’ role as writer and director, but it’s still fun to watch the backstage fervor.
“Mommy's Day: Patty McCormack Interviewed by Max Allan Collins” (17 min.) is from 1996. It starts off strong with McCormack discussing and dissecting her Bad Seed character and the title role. She also talks a bit about her history in the theater and television back in the 1950s. It’s a good talk and you get to know her as an actor a bit better. Would have liked to have heard more about being from Brooklyn, but I have my own personal reasons for that.
Last up is “Conversations with Interesting Characters: The Making of the movie Mommy - A Documentary by J. Rigler” (29 min.). I’ll be honest, I have no idea who J. Rigler is, but he does a pretty good job in getting the idea of the “Making of” project. He interviews the cast and crew members, including ones you wouldn’t necessarily expect, but of course focuses mainly on director Collins and James Hoffmann, Collins’ best friend since fourth grade, who was Executive Producer the flick. It’s informative and fun, though I still would love to hear why Collins replaced the original director of the film, which is mentioned in passing a few times in a few of the extras, but never really brought to light other than “artistic differences.”
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