The sadistic members of a villainous family return to their childhood home to terrorize the new home owners and their guests.
We caught up with director, Darren Lynn Bousman, to talk about 'Mother's Day'.
Horror News Network: What drew you to this project of updating 1980’s “Mothers Day”?
Darren Lynn Bousman: It was really different. I am not a huge fan of remakes but there was something about this movie that spoke to me. There was something unique about it.
Horror News Network: The film was very dark, and grew more sinister as the situation deteriorated. Can you talk a bit about the deterioration of the friends and what people will do in dire circumstances? There seemed to be a bit a little bit of the SAW films mixed in there as well.
Darren Lynn Bousman: I definitely drew on the SAW experience, I would be a fool not to. SAW glorified violence and basked in its gore. I don’t think Mothers Day did that. To me, Mothers Day is all about the viciousness rather than the gore.
I wanted to make a movie where no one was clearly good or bad. The victims were also perpatraitors. The villains had a human side to them. There is this moral ambiguity which arises throughout the movie.
Horror News Network: Rebecca DeMornay, who has played “crazy” before, was fantastically demented in the role. How did the casting of her come about?
Darren Lynn Bousman: Rebecca is fantastic. She is so fierce in The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, yet so charming, collected and sexy in Risky Business. We wanted our ‘Mother’ character to be all those things and she was a perfect choice. She took the role and just killed it!
Horror News Network: The plot was very intense. Tell us a bit about the filming of some of the more gory scenes? What was your favorite one to shoot?
Darren Lynn Bousman: A lot of the gore was done off screen. For instance in a scene where one of the characters gets shot in the head with a shotgun, you don’t really see it. You see the after effects of it as the character slides down the wall. Another character gets some of his fingers smashed with billiard balls. You see one of those on screen, but a few off.
One day I want to make a violent, viscous movie but shoot it like a ‘G-rated’ Disney film. I want to take terrible experiences and place it against happy music. I don’t want to actually show the horrible stuff happening, but actually hint at it.
I wasn’t able to do that in ‘Mother’s Day’ but I was able to use a few of the ideas. Hopefully I accomplished that. I do know that most people feel the film was extremely viscous.
Horror News Network: The entire cast was strong. One aspect of the film that was particularly interesting were the mind games that the Koffin family would play with the victims. Can you talk a bit about that as we thought it added a bunch to the film?
Darren Lynn Bousman: That was my favorite thing about this whole film. The family is fucking with the victims. By doing that, they are showing them whose boss. The anticipation of the violence is what makes the movie work.
Horror News Network: You’ve obviously been involved in several, really great horror films. How do you think this one matches up to them?
Darren Lynn Bousman: Mother’s Day is my favorite horror thing that I have done. I have a huge passion for Repo and The Devil’s Carnival but in terms of that other stuff, Mother’s Day is my favorite.
Horror News Network: Would you consider doing a follow up to this film?
Darren Lynn Bousman: If it called for it, sure. I have to tell ya, it took me three years to get this thing out. If people see it, like it and want to see another then hell yeah, lets do it.
Horror News Network: Can you talk a bit about the ATM scene where two friends that are held at gunpoint are thrust into a very unfortunate situation. These friends are forced to have a knife fight. One of them must kill the other or they will both be shot.
Darren Lynn Bousman: I had to fight to keep that scene in the movie. Everyone wanted to cut it out but I had to put my food down and really fight hard for it to stay in. They tested the movie and the audience wrote it as the worst scene in the movie. But the audience also said that that same scene was their favorite in the movie. It split the audience down the middle. That allowed me to keep it. It created discussion and it was great.
Horror News Network: In closing, what would you like to say to our audience about Mothers Day?
Darren Lynn Bousman: I am very proud of this movie. I urge you all to check it out.
Horror News Network: Thank you for your time, Darren. Best of luck with Mother's Day. Have a comment? Post it here.
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