Darren Bousman's home invasion horror pic Mother's Day hasn't had the easiest time while struggling to see the light of day. Shot back in 2009, it's taken a long road to securing distribution, and earned mixed-to-mildly enthusiastic reviews among the fanboy elite at last September's Fantastic Fest -- not exactly the place to bow to "meh" reactions if you're trying to generate genre buzz. But, hey; this newly unearthed foreign sales promo could be just the ticket to reversing that tide of bad luck!
Or not. Somewhat terribly edited and accompanied by awful, vaguely CW Network-sounding rock songs that play obtrusively in the background, the teaser does a fine job of turning off the senses. But it does give a snapshot of what Mother's Day is all about: A house full of suburbanites (including Briana Evigan, Shawn Ashmore, and Jaime King) get taken hostage by a trio of criminal brothers who then call in their mom (Rebecca De Mornay as The Mother) to clean up their mess. Screaming, torture, hand-smashing, and plenty of bloodletting ensue. What else could you possibly want from a remake of a 1980 Troma film about a creepily maternal psychopath and her brood wreaking havoc in the lives of poor, innocent yuppiefolk?
To be fair, there's a lot more to enjoy in Bousman's Mother's Day than what you see here. Besides De Mornay's unnerving and magnetic turn as the titular Mother, the update aims for relevancy in its themes of home loss and maternal desperation, and it's probably the best looking film in Bousman's repertoire (Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, Repo! The Genetic Opera). The whole shebang veers delightfully into camp at times, but isn't that what we want from a horror title like Mother's Day? The film hits theaters April 1 -- April Fool's! Just kidding. I mean, kidding about the April Fool's. It's really coming out this time.
(The real questions: Did this sales teaser actually snag Mother's Day any foreign distribution deals? And why isn't this coming out on actual Mother's Day?)
Verdict: Even guilty pleasures can have awful (and not in a good way) trailers.
[via Bloody Disgusting]