Mommy (1995)

I never expected Troma to make something like this; Trmoa has a reputation for its low-budget horror and personally I really enjoyed The Toxic Avenger, Redneck Zombies and The Children. This unofficial sequel to the 1956 horror film The Bad Seed went way beyond my expectations, and it even stars Patty McCormack, who played Rhoda Penmark in The Bad Seed.It's the 1990's, and Jessica Ann is a little girl doing exceptional in school, has a loving aunt... but there's one catch, her controlling and obsessive mother, known only as "Mommy", has come to visit Jessica Ann's favorite teacher because the top student award was given to a Hispanic kid rather than Jessica Ann. Jessica tries to convince Mommy that her classmate deserved the medal, but Mommy refuses to listen to reason, ultimately leading to the teacher's death. Soon Jessica recalls her "Daddy" who died, as well as kind old Mr. Sterling, who was her stepfather until he willed all his cash to Mommy... and then died. It isn't long before the school janitor is murdered and Jessica Ann realizes that Mommy might be more than just her mother.At first I wasn't sure that this was a Troma movie, although the brief shot of a chemical factory shown towards the end when Jessica Ann and Mommy rent a motel room vaguely reminded me of Troma's reputation for making movies on the subject of pollution. The acting, not only from Patty McCormack but from everyone else, was really amazing for an independent film, it's obviously low-budget but has great soundtrack and I loved seeing The Bad Seed's legacy being continued in a new film. Not everything low-budget is bad, watch it with an open mind and you might be really surprised.

Okay, there's some who will not like the shot-on-video style that makes this aesthetically seem like a daytime soap, but having watched the similarly done BBC series Thriller, I actually like it for it gives the film a bit more down-to-earth quality and less Hollywood slickness.The players are adequate, including Patty McCormick, but the real shining star is the young girl portraying Jessica Ann. The quality of her stellar performance reminds me of, say, Patty McC back in the original Bad Seed. All others are fine, with the exception of the fellow playing the rumpled detective, who really just is overboard.Brinke Stevens is exceptionally lovely in her staid appearance and gives new meaning to the really hot 'plain jane'. Too bad she wasn't a librarian as well.The story is pretty much what you'd expect and without surprises, well-paced however and still fun to watch. The budget limitations would have left a less resourceful cast and crew with a miserable effort, but they all come through here to present a pleasing diversion, yet that is all it is, an entertaining diversion. Don't make too much effort to get it, but if you find it and not for too much, then it's a good spend.

Yes, it is low budget, and yes it is shot on video for the direct to DVD market but I've seen much, much, worse. I can only imagine that the critics of this movie went into it with the wrong expectations.Patty McCormack is great as the deranged Mommy, her performance is definitely over the top, just as it should be in this kind of movie. She's acting as hard as she can and it is not a role which calls for subtlety. Rachel Lemieux may not be the most accomplished actress in the world - but she's less annoying than most children in low budget films. It's also nice to see Brinke Stevens in a (more or less) dramatic role.If you are looking for a high quality movie with lots of drama, gore, and topless Brinke Stevens, this is definitely not it. However, if you're looking for something kind of campy which you can enjoy making fun of (in an MST3K kind of way) then you could do a lot worse than this.

Thinking this low-budget "horror / thriller" to be along the lines of the chilling "Stepfather" films, I decided to watch it, but instead, I felt like I was prying on someone's personal life! The quality of the film was so unbelievably low, it was as if the film was made on someone's handi-cam - you could almost reach out and touch the bad upholstery at "Mommy's" house.With the exception of the esteemed Majel Barrett I had never heard of any of the cast in this film, which is somewhat surprising, as there were a couple of good actors, while the rest just seemed like locals the director / writer had somehow managed to rope into being in his film. What Majet was doing in this film is beyond me. Patty McCormack was a little bit OTT, but she certainly showed off her character's malign temperament. Rachel Lemieux was harmless, but it's easy to see why she never amounted to anything in the film industry (which I feel rather sorry for her). Brinke Stevens was the surprise, as she was rather good as "Mommy's" kind sister. Jason Miller (R.I.P.) was good as the detective investigating the strange goings-ons surrounding "Mommy", and Sarah Jane Miller was a riot as the janitor.If you are going to watch this film, be warned, and don't expect too much - because overall, it doesn't amount to much, though that is not for lack of trying.