- published: 22 Jun 2007
- views: 132142
Parents is a 1989 horror-comedy film written by Christopher Hawthorne and directed by Bob Balaban. The film is about a suburban boy in the 1950s who suspects his parents of cannibalism. The film starred Randy Quaid, Mary Beth Hurt, Sandy Dennis, and Bryan Madorsky. Although the film is primarily in the horror genre (it can also be categorized as surrealistic horror, and the film has sometimes been compared to the work of David Lynch, particularly Blue Velvet), it features many comic moments, including the use of sitcom-like music in its soundtrack, and has sometimes been categorized as a black comedy. The production of the film spared no expense in creating each detail, reproducing accurately the modern style of the 1950s, right down to the clothing, wallpaper and carpeting. It was filmed in Ontario. Its tagline is: There's a new name for terror!.
Michael Laemle is a ten year old boy living in 1954 suburban Massachusetts. He has new friends at his school, a father with a great job at a chemical plant named Toxico, and a mother who is the perfect homemaker, both always smothering him with kindness. However, when he questions where the huge cuts of meat come from that his parents serve every night, his parents aren't so kind. They are short tempered, and refuse to answer his questions. He quickly begins to fear both of his parents when he begins to suspect his "perfect" family of keeping dark secrets from him. Why isn't he allowed in the basement? Michael knows his parents are engaging in cannibalism, and that he is in danger. Michael grows more hysterical and disturbed every time his parents try to feed him their "choice cuts". He confesses to the school counselor why he is afraid of his parents. She doesn't believe him, and if she doesn't, who will?