Multiple Maniacs (1970)

The travelling sideshow 'Lady Divine's Cavalcade of Perversions' is actually a front for a group of psychotic kidnappers, with Lady Divine herself the most vicious and depraved of all - but... See full summary »

Director:

John Waters

Writer:

John Waters

Stars:

Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Divine	...	Lady Divine
David Lochary	...	Mr. David
Mary Vivian Pearce	...	Bonnie / Cavalcade Patron
Mink Stole	...	Mink / Cavalcade Patron
Cookie Mueller	...	Cookie Divine / Cavalcade Patron
Edith Massey	...	Edith / Virgin Mary
Susan Lowe	...	Cavalcade pervert
Rick Morrow	...	Ricky
Howard Gruber	...	Gilbert
Paul Swift	...	Steve (Cookie's boyfriend)
Vincent Peranio	...	Freak
Jim Thompson	...	Freak
Dee Vitolo	...	Freak
Ed Peranio	...	Freak
Bob Skidmore	...	Cavalcade Patron

Storyline

The travelling sideshow 'Lady Divine's Cavalcade of Perversions' is actually a front for a group of psychotic kidnappers, with Lady Divine herself the most vicious and depraved of all - but her life changes after she gets raped by a fifteen-foot lobster...

---

Plot Keywords:

lobster | john waters | giant lobster | church | anal sex | 

---

Taglines:

You won't believe this one!

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Horror

---

Certificate:

X

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Maníacos múltiples

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dreamland

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original ending was supposed to link Divine to the Manson murders, but when it was discovered that the Manson family was responsible, the ending was changed to what it is in the final film. The original ending would have fed the publicity gag that Divine was responsible for Sharon Tate's murder.

---

Quotes

Lady Divine: Oh, but I don't even know your name!
Mink: It's Mink, but lots of people just call me The Religious Whore.

---

Crazy Credits

And George Figgs as Jesus Christ

---

Connections

Featured in I Am Divine (2013)

User Reviews

This film looks so incredibly cool.

I love the grainy, inky black and white look of this movie, the bad cuts and scratches and even all the jumps in sound. It's just so gorgeous and couldn't be duplicated today...just a strange feeling is captured here, amplified because it's populated with so many hedonistic weirdos and perverts. Of course, these perks only exist because Waters and his crew were completely inept in the technical ways of cinema, but hey, I'll take what I can get.

Content wise...this has at least a flash or two of brilliance, which is impressive for a film that cost around "5000" bucks. The opening at the Calvacade of Perversions is great ("She is an auto-erotica copraphrasiac and a gerontophiliac!"), but modern audiences might not know what to make out of all the dated cultural references (too much Manson/Tate stuff)...then there's an incredibly tedious and overlong delusion with Divine narrating her version of Christ. Even more time is padded with endless scenes of characters sitting and/or lying in bed talking (and often forgetting their lines), plus topless jitterbugging from Cookie Mueller, people riding around in cars and Mink Stole ("the religious whore") and Divine walking down the street.

Despite all that, the closing sequences (starting with Lobstra) make up for it and are just priceless. Best use of the song "God Bless America" right here folks! And the film is still completely unique and original 30+ years later, so you really have to admire it on that front as well.