Pink Flamingos (1972)

4.5 / 5
Tagline: An exercise in poor taste
Directed By: John Waters
Written By: John Waters
Actors Include: Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce
Genre: Cult, Comedy
Length: 108 minutes
Banned: Australia, Singapore, Canada, Norway
Country: USA

Review:
I have no idea why this is classified as a horror film as it's more of a cult gross-out flick. I love John Waters firstly, the way he makes colorful and surreal pictures using the same grouping of folks is fantastic. If you don't know his early style this may shock you. He basically no budget and shot it with his friends in the woods behind his house. That is part of the entertainment though, he has a colorful cast of likeable oddities who appear in most of his films, and there are so many memorable things going on in this film that it simply must be seen to be believed. The plot is that Divine and her koo-koo family (Edie the egg lady who is basically erm mentally slow and sits in a crib in her undies), Cotton, her daughter who is a weirdo voyeur, and Crackers her son (who performs sex acts while his sister watches). I should mention right about here that this film does feature the death of a chicken, while two people are fucking over top of it. Waters' claimed that animal rights people were after him for it but I think he said they ate the chicken after if it makes anyone feel better. Anyhow, they are rivaled by the Marbles who run an operation where they kidnap and impregnate girls using their butler, then they sell the babies to Lesbian couples. It doesn't sound that racy? Well in 1972 it sure as hell must have been. Anything disgusting you could expect to find is here in garish color and exaggerated including eating dog shit. It's not staged, it's real and from the commentary on the film (which I highly recommend listening to also) you find out how hard it was to actually get that dog to poop and how Divine was afraid of getting worms after eating it. This is one of those films you will love or hate, there doesn't seem to be a middle ground with this one. I think it's hilarious and entertaining, but "straight laced" folks will run screaming but that may be why I like it so!