Pink Flamingos
Saliva Films, 1972, 93 minutes
Starring Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole, Danny Mills, Edith Massey, Channing Wilroy, Cookie Mueller
What can be said about Pink Flamingos that hasn't already been said a thousand times? It's the greatest gross-out movie of all time.
Let's start at the end: to prove how filthy Divine really is, she follows a poodle around town until it shits little squirty turds. Scooping some up, she swallows them with a truly shit-eating grin. Her gag-reflex goes into overdrive, but so did her career. This single celluloid moment set the standard against which the entire genre of midnight movies would forever be compared. It never fails to disgust.
The actual plot of the film is what leads up to this act of poo eating. It revolves around a competition between Babs Johnson (Divine) and her family, and their rivals the Marbles, for the title of Filthiest People Alive. They constantly try to outdo one another through acts that would be considered criminal, if not criminally insane.
The Dreamland crew is really in their element here, overacting and camping it up. They were apparently freezing out in the woods during the shoot, starving and on speed. But it was all worth it as the end product went on to become the most successful midnight movie ever, thanks to its infamous ending. It's even in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art!
Read more about Pink Flamingos:
> NEXT Magazine
> National Public Radio Interview