Multiple Maniacs
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| Multiple Maniacs | |
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| Directed by | John Waters |
| Written by | John Waters |
| Starring | Divine Mary Vivian Pearce David Lochary Mink Stole Cookie Mueller |
| Release date(s) |  1970 |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Multiple Maniacs is a 1970 film by Baltimore, Maryland, USA filmmaker John Waters. The film features several actors who were part of the regular acting troupe for Waters' films, including Divine Mary Vivian Pearce, David Lochary, Mink Stole, Edith Massey, and Cookie Mueller.
The title pays tribute to Herschell Gordon Lewis's 2000 Maniacs, as John Waters stated in his book "Shock Value".
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[edit] Synopsis
Lady Divine is the owner and operator of a show called the 'Calvacade of Perversion', a free carnival of various unusual sex acts ("See Actual Homosexuals Kissing Each Other") and obscenities (the "Puke Eater").
As a finale to every show, Lady Divine comes in and steals the patrons' wallets. This arrangement seems perfectly acceptable to Lady Divine's lover, David (who is having an affair with a younger, more beautiful woman) - until Lady Divine shows signs of allowing her bloodlust to escalate out of control, ending up with her killing rather than just robbing the show's patrons.
Things comes to a head when Edith, a local bartender, reports David's affair to Lady Divine. She goes to the bar where David and his lover are drinking, but is raped on the way by two young men.
Making her way uncertainly to a church, Lady Divine prays, but is then approached by a strange young woman - and a rather unusual sexual encounter then takes place in the church pew. The act is known as a "rosary job" and the imagery is quite graphic, including the crucifixion of Jesus and the image of said 'lesbian' encounter being mixed interchangeably.
Some time later, Lady Divine gets to the bar, but by then she is too late and David and his lover (who have now decided that they have to kill Lady Divine to protect themselves) have left.
The climactic scene of the film features Lady Divine being raped by a ten-foot lobster named Lobstora after she has consumed the internal organs of her boyfriend, David, whom she has just murdered.
[edit] Cast
- Divine as Lady Divine
- David Lochary as Mr. David
- Mary Vivian Pearce as Bonnie
- Mink Stole as Mink / Religious Whore
- Cookie Mueller as Cookie
- Paul Swift as Steve
- Rick Morrow as Ricky
- Edith Massey as Barmaid
- George Figgs as Jesus Christ
- Michael Renner Jr. as The Infant of Prague
- Susan Lowe as Freak #1
- Howard Gruber as Freak #2
- Vince Peranio as Freak #3
- Jim Thompson as Freak #4
- Dee Vitolo as Freak #5
- Ed Peranio as Freak #6
- Tom Wells as Freak #7
- Gilbert McGill as Freak #8
- Bob Skidmore as Straight Person #1
- Margie Skidmore as Straight Person #2
- Pat Moran as Straight Person #3
- Harvey Freed as Straight Person #4
- Mark Lazarus as Straight Person #5
[edit] Trivia
- The budget for the entire movie is reputed to have been $5000. [1]
- In a subplot, David Lochary's character, who incidentally is also named David, is blamed for killing Sharon Tate. This was filmed before it became known that Charles Manson and his cult "family" had killed her. Because the Manson "family" was apprehended during principal photography of the film, the ending was changed at the last minute to have David realise he hadn't in fact committed the murders.
- Waters has been known to have an obsession with high profile court cases, including the Manson trials. In Pink Flamingos, the phrase "Free Tex Watson XX" is seen spray-painted on a wall, in reference to Charles "Tex" Watson. In his audio commentaries released with the DVD versions of his films, Waters has said that he and 'Tex' have somewhat of a regular correspondence. Waters does not condone the actions of these murderers, but is very interested in the way that a person can almost become an anti-celebrity. This idea, touched on in Multiple Maniacs, became the central theme of his later film, Female Trouble, where "crime is beauty".
[edit] Availability
Multiple Maniacs is only available on VHS, and is available through TLA video. It has been stated that the release of the film on DVD has been hindered in part due to the very graphic material, particularly the religious material.
[edit] External link
Hag in a Black Leather Jacket • Roman Candles • Eat Your Makeup • Mondo Trasho • The Diane Linkletter Story • Multiple Maniacs • Pink Flamingos • Female Trouble • Desperate Living • Polyester • Hairspray • Cry-Baby • Serial Mom • Pecker • Cecil B. DeMented • A Dirty Shame
