Written and Directed by Brian Taylor, one-half of the directing Team of Neveldine and Taylor. The guys who brought you both the Crank films, Gamer, and both Ghost Rider movies that starred Nicolas Cage. Taylor originally had a singular idea; of "What if your parents really wanted to kill you", and within 2-3 years flushed out a fully conceived story, Mom and Dad finally made it's film debut at the 2017's Toronto International Film Festival's Midnight Madness Screening, as the film was characterized as a black comedy/horror film.
The actual theatrical released version is very subdued all the real violence that lends to gore are implied and is never seen on camera. However, it was given an R-rating for disturbing horror violence, language throughout, some sexual content/nudity and teen drug use.
The Premise: Parents one day across the country are given the uncontrollable desire and instinct to savagely kill their own children, and hold a completely innocuous relationship with everyone else they come in contact with. It seems the flickering of a television signal that displays snow or dead air on the screen triggers this sudden behavior. In Hitchcockian terms its a McGuffin or red herring , or in JJ Abrams terms a mystery box, that gives this film its plot device, but the writer/director does not really care on what the source or mystery is really all about. It is up to the viewer to devise our own conclusion, as hints and suggestions are peppered throughout the story from news outlets, Expert Tv panels and Dr. Oz, giving us possible ideas and reasons. Nicolas Cage & Selma Blair play the title roles, Cage seems tailored for his character as Brent the father who skirts the line of manic to loving to gonzo insane at a drop of a hat. Brian Taylor adds to the intrigue by showing us levels of the infection, from a mother's desire to kill her new born infant, to visiting grandparents wanting to kill their own children, but love their Grandchildren, and signs within the animal kingdom from birds and squirrels killing their offspring.
Similar films to which Mom and Dad follow in the footsteps are Hitchcock's the Birds, Stephen King's Maximum Overdrive, and M. Night's The Happening. Arguably a little bit more polished than the latter examples; Mom and Dad ends slightly open ended, and given the movie's description, which implies that the kids need to survive 24 hours. There is no exposition or reason for the suggested timeframe nor does it seem to hold itself to any definitive rules. Each primary character displays flaws or traits that deem them worthy of a scolding, while secondary characters like the boyfriend are treated as appetizer to the main course of insanity. The film is palatable but not memorable, while trying to give a unique character study to dissociative motivations.
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