I remember when I was growing up I'd frequent the library and often rent horror VHS tapes. I'd mostly re-rent Halloween or Nightmare on Elm Street. But one tape that always caught my eye was Parents. It's subtle cover hinting at cannibalism always struck me as creepy. What would I do if I discovered my parents were cannibals? I never rented it for some reason. Well, it's over a decade later and I own it now. So it's time to watch the damn thing.
It's the 1950's. Michael and his family have moved to a new home. Michael has recurring nightmares and is very shy. He also doesn't seem to enjoy the meat he's served at dinner. This is because he suspects that his parents are cannibalistic murderers. With each passing day, Michael's parents act more and more suspicious. But are they really hiding a dark secret or is Michael just having way too many nightmares.
Parents is supposed to be a satirical black comedy horror film. There is some satire, but the comedy doesn't really deliver any laughs. The horror scenes, however, are tense, atmospheric, and actually creepy. The end result is a very weird tone for the overall film. Weird in a good way.
Randy Quaid is really impressive in his performance of Michael's father. He finds the perfect blend of 1950's super normalcy and creepiness. He's the star of the picture. The other performances aren't too shabby either. Michael is a little too withdrawn though. You'd think a 10 year old who suspects cannibalism in his home would act out a little more.
Parents is a cult film. It's not going to impress everybody. But for fan's of satire and horror, I'd recommend watching this one alone at night. The plot is kind of a slow burn. So watching it with a room full of people could be distracting. It gets pretty intense near the end, so it's worth the wait.
Side Note: I hate cannibal movies. But maybe since this wasn't a tribe I was able to enjoy it.
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