John Waters fans, prepare to be happy. No, unfortunately Mondo Trasho isn’t coming out on special edition DVD, but his morbid tale of suburban butchery, Serial Mom, has finally arrived in an impressive package that makes HBO Home Video’s previous release of the film look positively anemic by comparison. Go ahead and use that old fullscreen disc as a coaster, because this is the version of Serial Mom that every Waters fan is going to want for their collection.
 
 
 

Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, the film has never looked as good on home video as it does here: The suburban shrubs burst with Tru-Green color, the blood flows a vivid deep red, and Beverly Sutphin’s linens look so Bounty fresh you can almost smell the fabric softener. The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is so crisp the viewer can hear the birds happily chirping outside the Sutphin’s windows, and Barry Manilow’s Daybreak blasts with crystal clear, cheery irony.

But a pristine presentation of the film itself is only the beginning, because in addition to including the director’s commentary track originally recorded for the 2004 DVD release of Serial Mom, this disc also includes an abundance of fantastic bonus materials. A newly recorded commentary track finds Waters watching the film alongside star Kathleen Turner, and it’s truly fascinating to hear Hollywood legend Turner’s take on working with the so-called “Prince of Puke.” She may not be the most talkative actress ever to appear on a commentary track, but it’s obvious that she had fun working on the film and she shares some great stories about the production. It’s especially fun to hear Waters and Turner talking about working with Sam Waterston, who reluctantly went crowd surfing for a climatic scene at a punk concert and at one point worried that he was endorsing deviant behavior by appearing in the film. First up on the featurette list is “Serial Mom: Surreal Moments.” A nearly thirty-minute documentary on the making of Serial Mom, “Surreal Moments” finds all the Waters regulars discussing the production of the film along with a few unique surprises: It’s pretty amazing to hear Patricia Hearst recalling her original meeting with Waters, Donita Sparks from L7 discusses her uncomfortable costume, and Film Critic Dennis Dermody reveals an interesting piece of trivia about Beverly Sutphin’s serial killer scrapbook. Additional interviews find Ricki Lake discusses the chaos of shooting Serial Mom and launching her hit talk show at the same time, and Matthew Lillard joyfully recalling his very first film appearance. Fans of Serial Mom know that the film Blood Feast plays a pivotal role in the plot, and in “The Kings of Gore: Herschell Gordon Lewis and David Friedman” viewers are treated to a ten-minute history lesson in screen slaughter. “The Making of Serial Mom” is a six-minute original promotional featurette, and somewhat chillingly highlights how Serial Mom anticipated the cult of celebrity surrounding serial killers. An original theatrical trailer is also included.