Desperate Living (1977)

Rewatched this old favorite as a midnight movie introduced by Mink Stole herself. Hard not to be jazzed about that.

John Waters last major freak out before taking a small step towards the mainstream with Polyester, Desperate Living is in some ways his most extremely dark and fucked film. Lacking some of the joy of Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble, it feels edgier. It is also lacking Divine (his first film without her), but the cast is top fucking notch. Mink Stole as rich anxious headcase Peggy Gravel, Jean Hill as her housekeeper and “sister in crime” Grizelda. They kill Connie’s husband and hit the road taking refuge in Mortville (a kind of freezone for degenerates and criminals that the cops wont touch, it is ruled by evil Queen Carlotta-Edith Massey).

Peggy and Grizelda move in with Mole (pre-op tranny boy) and Muffy (“the prettiest girl in Mortville”).  The story is mostly how the people of Mortville rise up against the tyranny of Queen Carlotta. It is a story filled with rabies, botched sex changes, an army of Tom of Finland style leather daddies, and some of the most fantastic hysterical dialogue ever filmed. The city of Mortville is a triumph of low-budget set design, the interiors and exteriors feel so cold and filthy, but dreamlike and also very much a fucked-Disney vibe. There is even a cameo from Cookie Mueller (my favorite of John Waters “Dreamlander” pool of actors).

Like I said, its an old favorite and I enjoyed it now as much or more than when I was a teenager. It’s the kind of film that when certain lines were spoken on screen I would think to myself “Ah! thats why I’ve been saying that for years!” Having unknowingly been quoting it for years. Dark, hilarious and brilliant.