Bloody Mama

1970

1h 30m

IMDb RATING

5.5/10

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2 Videos

23 Images

Crime

Drama

Sexually abused as a young girl, Kate "Ma" Barker grows into a violent and powerful woman by the 1930s. She lovingly dominates her grown sons and grooms them into a pack of tough crooks. The boys include the cruel Herman, who still shares a bed with Ma; Fred, an ex-con who fell in love with a fellow prisoner; and Lloyd, who gets high on whatever's handy. Together they form a deadly, bizarre family of Depression-era bandits.

Directors

Roger Corman

Writers

Don Peters(story by)

Robert Thom(story by)

Robert Thom(screenplay by)

Stars

Shelley Winters

Pat Hingle

Don Stroud

See production, box office & company info

Videos2

Trailer
Watch Bloody Mama (1970) Roadshow Home Video Australia Trailer
Featurette
Watch Roger Corman on BLOODY MAMA

Photos23

Top cast

'Ma' Kate Barker

Sam Adams Pendlebury

Herman Barker

Mona Gibson

Kevin Dirkman

Arthur Barker

Lloyd Barker

Fred Barker

George Barker

Rembrandt

Dr. Roth

Moses

Agent McClellan

Young Kate (as Lisa Jill)

Steve Mitchell

Sheriff

Roy Idom

Ferry Boat Passenger

Drew Bonner

Bank Customer (uncredited)

Ted Eccles

Victim (uncredited)

Directors

Roger Corman

Writers

Don Peters(story by)

Robert Thom(story by)

Robert Thom(screenplay by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews1

Review

Featured review

7/10

Moma's Boys. Bloody Mama is directed by Roger Corman and written by Don Peters and Robert Thom. It stars Shelley Winters, Bruce Dern, Don Stroud, Robert De Niro, Diane Varsi, Robert Walden and Pat Hingle. Music is by Don Randi and cinematography by John A. Alonzo. Story is loosely based on the infamous Kate "Ma" Barker, who along with her sons would cause criminal carnage wherever they went. "I told my boys to just rob banks and stay out of trouble" Very much coming off like the bastard son of Bonnie and Clyde, Bloody Mama finds Roger Corman on devilish form. He somehow manages to create violence that cuts hard, and yet there's still a pantomime vibe to things. The characters range from a mad matriarch who is a deathgasm addict - to a psychopath - a sadist - a submissive homosexual - a junkie torturer - and a hapless girlfriend, is it any wonder there's murder, robbery and seedy sexual shenanigans going on?! Hell the pic even begins with incestuous rape! Kiss me Kate! It's all very chaotic at times, led by a blunderbuss turn from Winters, but just when you think it's going out of control to the point of no return, Corman and his cast pull it back on track. It's often thrilling and unnerving, and with Corman blending newsreel footage of the era with the fact the pic is filmed on location in Arkansas, there's an earthy docu style feel to the tale - even if as a history lesson it's hokey at best. Not everybody's idea of enjoyment but from that chilling opening to the blood and thunder of the finale, Bloody Mama holds court with shifty glee. 7.5/10

John Chard09 Mar, 2017