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By the early 90s, cult filmmaker John Waters had gone (somewhat) mainstream with 1988sHairsprayand 1990sCry-Baby.
Its a ratings guarantee.
Credit: Everett Collection
If I see Casey Anthony one more time, you know?!
[Laughs] This was early on O.J.
hadnt even happened yet.
Universal Studios
Obviously, you had to have a star to get the movie greenlit.
Threw that one down, went about my way.
But I couldnt dismiss it.
Threw it down again.
Im talking to my husband and saying, You wontbelievethis one.
But I went back and read it again.
[Laughs] I was just sointrigued.
I called John and said, Is this a gorefest or a comedy?
He said, Let me come and talk to you.
He had doneTheKilling Fields!
He was lovely to work with, too.TURNER:Sam is a doll.
But he was a little concerned.
I said, No, no, Sam.
He has a very strong moral center.
Obviously, I dont quite share that.
I didnt like that.
That somehow was too real for me.
But I trusted John.
The rest the liver, the leg of lamb come on, theyre just absurd!
Waters butted heads with the films distributors, Savoy Pictures, during postproduction.WATERS:They hated it.
They said, You cant show Serial Mom setting her childrens friends on fire!
I said, Well, that was in the script!
They said, Well, no ones going to like it.TURNER:They never got it.
I was sitting in this screening with one of the heads of the studio.
He turned to me and said, Its acomedy?!
God knows where it was some place where Rodney Kings jurors live, I dont know.
It was a bad experience.
But you know what?
They paid me a very, very good salary to make that movie.
The more money Hollywood pays you, the more theyre going to have a say.
If you dont want to hear notes, then go make an underground movie.Nobodywill tell you what to do!
Hollywood treated me fairly.
No one went to see any movie that weekend.
Every person worked on their yard, started their garden.
You dont think of that at leastIdidnt when you think of the opening day.
All my movies are weird to the American public.
It plays on television a lot, especially on Mothers Day.
[Laughs]TURNER:Did you see what was going around the internet?
Serial Momis available on Blu-ray and DVD from Scream Factory.
