by Was she afraid I was going to kill her?
Yes? No?
I can honestly tell you, I don’t dismember remember much of anything about this flick. Keeping that in mind, I will do my best to not throw out too much spoilage if you haven’t seen this. Even though, there really isn’t much to spoil.
I Dismember Mama is a 1972 psychological thriller about a grown man who has it out for Mommy. Albert (Zooey Hall) has been in a low-security mental institution after attempting to stab his mother (Joanne Moore Jordan), who seems to suffer from ‘Woe is me’ syndrome. While institutionalized, a nurse enters his room without the courtesy of knocking and turns off his projector, reminding Albert that it is not healthy for him to watch whatever it was that he was watching.
Woooaaah, Nurse! Manners, please! Don’t you know that gets you hurt?
Apparently not, because he retaliates in what seems to be the only way he is familiar – with a violent attempt at sexual assault – until he is subdued. This leaves the doctor with notifying Albert’s mother that he is too much a deviant and needs to be locked in a high-security nut house.
Proving this, Albert murders an orderly and escapes to return back to dear ol’ mommy, only to discover her housekeeper, Alice (Marlene Tracy), alone. Unfortunately for Alice, Albert has this thing against women, where he sees them as impure, dirty, and worthy of death.
Even if you are a sweet widowed mother. Sorry, Alice.
The story starts to take a weird little turn when her daughter, Annie (Geri Reischl), returns from school. Seeing her as sweet and innocent, Albert becomes a little mentally juvenile and befriends the girl. Telling Annie that her mother is away at the doctor’s, and convinces her to not only play with him, but to GO TO A HOTEL WITH HIM!
WHUUH?!?!
Yeah. Sure. Throughout this entirely slow and drawn out filler, no one questions the middle-aged man with the nine year-old girl frolicking about and heading towards the bridal suite. It’s perfectly normal. No one would notice. The cops aren’t moving with any sense of real urgency…
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Things head south when Albert appears to feel those inappropriate urges, and we are led on a chase that does not, indeed, end with a dismembered mama.
I Dismember Mama – Thoughts and Recommendation
This film’s mismatched music and drawn out plot left me feeling conflicted. Even worse, there was not a single dismemberment as one would expect by the misleading title.
I was bored. This movie came with a side effect of severe drowsiness, causing me to pass out in mid-viewing. Was it really psychological? Was it really thrilling? Dare I wipe the 3am drool off my face? Dare I like this?
The answer is ‘NO’. Well, except for the whole drooling thing. That is pretty gross.
But, go ahead! I won’t stop you from forming your own opinion. Just make sure to consume an energy drink and watch it after a nap.
Until Next Time –
MissToxicLocket
I Dismember Mama 1972
Directed By: Paul Leder
Screenplay By: William Norton
