Still, Serial Mom was broad in ways heretofore unseen by Waters - quite an achievement. The director had certainly mined such territory before, in everything from Desperate Living to Polyester, with David Lynch later making the quintessential middle-American horror film in 1986вЂ™s Blue Velvet. Mini-major Savoy Pictures footed the $13 million budget, WatersвЂ™ largest to date, and secured a semi-wide release into 500 theaters on April 15, 1994, where the film was met with a resounding thud, ultimately taking in only $7 million dollars.ДЄudiences may not have been ready for WatersвЂ™ satirical take on the serial killer genre, one whose roots were firmly planted in the rot that existed under the carefully-manicured homes of suburban America. Waters had found his new muse - and in the process, brought Serial Mom into the limelight with him. And while itвЂ™s not hard to imagine the arch pleasures that Divine might have brought to the role of murderous mother extraordinaire Beverly Sutphin, Turner thrives in the film, putting her own special spin on the character and committing to every ludicrous act and line-reading with a commitment that would seem borderline ridiculous in the hands of a lesser actress. Nabbing Turner for the role was a major coup for both Waters and the actress herself, who was in the midst of a career downslide after the box office disasters V.I. Actresses such as Glenn Close and Meryl Streep were bandied about, but it was ultimately Kathleen Turner who won the role, a performer who had previously shown a flair for both steely and breezy character work in such varied films as Romancing the Stone and The War of the Roses. Waters has stated in countless interviews that he wanted a big name for the titular role of a seemingly perfect suburban Baltimore housewife and mother who also happened to be a crazed mass murderer. It was with Serial Mom, however, that Waters finally turned the page and embraced the star system, a trend that would continue for the remainder of his filmmaking career, for better and worse. In other words, when Iggy Pop is the most recognizable name in your cast and you opt to satirize a genre almost completely unknown to modern-day teenagers, it shouldnвЂ™t surprise when your film flops.

Star Johnny Depp was known for his role in Fox televisionвЂ™s 21 Jump Street, but was still eight months away from the release of Edwards Scissorhands and his subsequent ascension to bankable leading man. ThatвЂ™s not to say Waters exactly went A-list with his Cry-Baby cast - certainly not for 1990, anyway. Cry-Baby also marked the first film that didnвЂ™t the feature directorвЂ™s career-long muse, drag icon Harris Glenn Milstead, aka Divine, who passed away from a heart attack in 1988. A box office bomb, Waters has stated that it was his courting of a PG-13 rating that led to the filmвЂ™s ultimate downfall. Shocked by the filmвЂ™s success - and the MPAAвЂ™s family-friendly rating - Waters immediately took advantage of his good fortune and went Hollywood in 1990 with Cry-Baby, another musical, this one courtesy of Universal Studios and inspired by the disposable, rock-heavy films of Elvis PresleyвЂ™s heyday. A filmmaker who built his name and reputation on such outre, low-budget fare as Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble, Waters found unexpected mainstream admittance with his 1988 musical/dance comedy Hairspray, a PG-rated tale of racial segregation in 1950s Baltimore. 1994вЂ™s Serial Mom marked something of a turning point for writer-director John Waters.

Beverly sutphin serial killer