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Watching a movie without finding out beforehand what it is about can be dicey.  “Mum & Dad” brought to my mind a memory of going to the theater with my mother to see “Child’s Play”.   I had convinced her to see it without sharing much more than the title, so she went under the assumption that it was a comedy rather than horror.  Not long into the movie, she turned to me and said, “This isn’t funny.” This is my exact reaction to “Mum & Dad”.  I did know that it was a horror flick, but mistakenly believed it was going to be along the lines of “Shaun of the Dead”.  Instead, this bizarre little piece of British torture porn caught me totally off-guard and I’m still trying to decide how to categorize it or even if I liked it.

            This film is not afraid to go for the gross out factor on various levels. You get a hint of that early on, as one of the first scenes involves a toilet that the tidy bowl man might have changed careers over.  Facing this mess is new airport cleaning person Lena (Olga Fedori), a college student from Poland. She is quickly rescued from the stall of horrors by Birdie (Ainsley Howard), a vet at the job despite her youth. Friendly, chatty Birdie teams up with her new protégée to show her the way around, even introducing Lena to her silent brother Elbie (Toby Alexander), another airport employee. When Birdie causes Lena to miss her bus home, she cheerily tells her that she and Elbie live next to the airport and that their father would be more than happy to give her a ride.  How convenient!

            Obviously Lena is more gullible than you folks (I’m sure none of you would have trusted inquisitive, quirky, strangely-scarred Miss Birdie).  Lena soon finds that she has been recruited to join their family, non-optional, of course. Mum (Dido Miles) wants another daughter and dutiful, brown-nosing Birdie has provided, though she instantly loses the guise of friend and takes on one of spiteful rival. Mum has drugs, needles and knives to try to make Lena part of the clan, as she has already done to Birdie and Elbie. If Lena doesn’t behave, Mum will give her to Dad (Perry Benson), who would have many unpleasant uses for her, alive or dead.

            There is nothing pretty about this movie. There are strong hints of cannibalism and blatant necrophilia, though in a somewhat unique fashion. Massive “Ewwww!” on that, I’ll warn you now.  Weaker stomachs should avoid the area. Some sequences may even nauseate a few who consider themselves made of sterner stuff.

Lena proves to be a scrappy heroine under the circumstances. Maybe not the brightest bulb on the tree, but adaptive at surviving and refusing to give up or give in. Birdie is a nasty piece of work, which is meant as a compliment to the actress. She is a sibling nightmare. Mum and Dad themselves are unnerving in their structured insanity. Perry Benson is especially disturbing. If he doesn’t creep you out, I don’t want to know what will. 

Like it or not, this is a movie that will loiter in your memory. Despite being fairly disgusted with it, I have had the urge to watch it again. I have heard that same thing from others who’ve viewed it and they can’t quite explain why. Compellingly disconcerting, graphically distasteful, and oddly entertaining; it’s a celluloid version of sour candy. It will not be to most people’s taste, but if you can finish the entire thing, this movie could end up on your guilty pleasure list.