Midnight Madness
MOM AND DAD
Directed by Brian Taylor
USA | 83 minutes | 2016 | STC | Colour | English | World Premiere
TIFF September 7th-17th 2017
Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair star in this pitch-black horror-comedy about a worldwide mass hysteria where, for 24 brutal hours, parents turn violently against their own children.
Mommy and Daddy ain’t alright, and they’re definitely more than a little weird in this pitch-black horror comedy that imagines a 24-hour nightmare where parents worldwide succumb to a mysterious mass hysteria that turns them violently against their own children. It’s a macabre and inspired conceit, and one mined for biting social satire by writer/director Brian Taylor on his first solo outing since his gonzo collaborations with Mark Neveldine (the Crank films, Gamer), which similarly provoked and parodied cultural bugaboos.
Quickly narrowing the premise to the perspective of an average American family caught in the midst of the mayhem, Taylor gleefully teeters with the tone throughout, dipping from swaths of ironic slapstick horror to a white-knuckle postpartum set piece in a hospital delivery room. Selma Blair and Nicolas Cage portray the titular ‘rents, and while Cage is fully engaged, delivering a hysterical performance that’s manic and memorable — not to mention meme-able — Blair is the film’s emotional anchor. She imbues the family matriarch with an empathetic and depressed weariness that underscores the tragedy and horror of the twisted scenario.
Mom and Dad is riotous entertainment for those who wished that Paul Lynde didn’t just complain about “kids these days” in Bye Bye Birdie, but also chased after them with an electric handsaw.
Brian Taylor
Brian Taylor is an American filmmaker who received his training from the Los Angeles Film School. He began his career as a cinematographer before switching to directing. His credits include Crank (06), Crank: High Voltage (09), Gamer (09), and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (12). Mom and Dad (17) is his latest film.
Cast + Credits
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Director
Brian Taylor
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Cast
Nicolas Cage Selma Blair Anne Winters Zackary Arthur Lance Henriksen
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Cinematography
Daniel Pearl
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Editing
Rose Corr Fernando Villena
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Executive Producers
Jere Hausfater Cassian Elwes Nate Bolotin Ali Jazayeri Nick Spicer David Gendron Wayne Marc Godfrey Robert Jones Rob Gough
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Producers
Chris Lemole Tim Zajaros Brian Taylor
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Production Companies
Armory Films Dovecheck Productions Limited The Fyzz Facility XYZ Films Momentum Pictures
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Production Designer
James C. Wise
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Screenplay
Brian Taylor
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US Sales
XYZ Films Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
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International Sales
XYZ Films
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Original Score
Mr. Bill