Despite the “based on a true story” card at the film’s start, many fans remain unclear about what aspects of “Serial Mom” are real versus fictional.
Released in 1994, John Waters’ “Serial Mom” stars Kathleen Turner as a seemingly ordinary mother harboring a dark secret: she is a serial killer.
With the film gaining renewed popularity 30 years later thanks to its addition to Netflix, many are curious about the real-life case it was supposedly based on and what has become of the victims, their families, and the killer herself.
Is Serial Mom Really Based on True Events?
At the beginning of “Serial Mom,” a title card claims the film is based on a true story and notes that “no one involved in the true crimes received any financial compensation.” Given that many films loosely based on real events include such a card, viewers were led to believe that “Serial Mom” was inspired by or based on a real-life serial killer case.
However, the movie is entirely fictional and not based on any real events or people.
Some fans pointed to the tapes of real-life serial killer Ted Bundy that Eugene finds under Beverly’s mattress, causing further confusion. These recordings are also fake, with director John Waters providing the voice for Bundy.
In a 2017 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Waters clarified the film’s true nature, explaining his motivation behind making it and confirming it was not based on any real events. According to Waters, “Serial Mom” is a satire of the true crime genre, and he enjoyed satirizing different genres:
“Every one of my movies is a satire of a genre. ‘Hairspray’ was a dance movie. ‘Cry-Baby’ was a musical. ‘Serial Mom’ was true-crime. Each one was satirizing a certain genre.”
In another interview with Beverly Cinema, Waters addressed the cards at the film’s beginning, stating that “a lot of people” believed the story was real, which was his intention. He added that it was set up to be believable:
“People really believed it was real—a lot of people. They said, ‘Well, what happened to her? Where is she?’ It was set up to be believable in a way, and today they might even believe it more because there’s so much of that kind of thing on television. So many true crime things are reenacted.”
Are There Any Real Cases Similar To Serial Mom?
While there are no real cases exactly like the events shown in “Serial Mom,” there have been female murderers and serial killers over the years.
For example, Audrey Hilley was convicted of murdering her husband and attempting to murder her 19-year-old daughter by poisoning them with arsenic. Her husband, Frank, died from heavy metal poisoning, and her daughter, Carol, narrowly survived.
Another notorious female serial killer is Aileen Wuornos, who is arguably the most famous female serial killer in American history. Wuornos was convicted of murdering seven men (and accused of murdering eight) while working as a sex worker in Florida. All her victims were shot multiple times.
While Wuornos did not have a family like Kathleen Turner’s character in “Serial Mom,” her killing spree draws some parallels.
“Serial Mom” is currently streaming on Netflix.