User reviews

I don't know why, but I liked this movie. It's one of Steve Buscemi's few leading roles in a movie and I like him as an actor, but my enjoyment of this film went beyond that. I've only seen it on TV a few times (was this ever actually released in theaters?) but I enjoyed it. It has a quirky humor to it and a rather odd storyline. If you ever see this on TV on a Sunday afternoon, watch it.

Ed (Steve Buscemi) loves his mother, but she's been dead for a year. When the Happy People Corporation gives him the chance to bring her back from the dead, he readily agrees. Also, we have a romantic subplot and a story of a man who just got out of prison (who I think is played by the same guy who played Uncle Rico and the Wolfman from "Monster Squad").

Steve Buscemi has never steered me wrong, and putting him in a lead role was brilliant on someone's part (he too often ends up forgotten in the background). This is one of his best roles, right up there with his part in "Ghost World". Buscemi knows comedy, and now it seems we can safely say he can even do romance (who would have thought?).

The comedy here is of the dark kind you might find on "Tales From the Crypt" or "Creepshow", with old women trying to eat dogs and the use of chainsaws and lawnmowers as weapons (has someone been watching "Dead Alive"?). People who love mainstream comedy (Ben Stiller fans) aren't going to love this, but those who like the stranger stuff will eat it up.

The salesman was great. I forget his name, but he looks like an old Ted Danson. He had a role that seemed like he should have been a newspaperman from "Little Shop of Horrors", his style was right out of the Roger Corman playbook. And the beautiful woman next door (played by Sam Jenkins, whose name does not do her justice)... ravishing! Those outfits were a little strange (even for the early 1990s) but she made them work. Would you believe Buscemi could find a woman this attractive? Believe it!

The gore was very minimal (even during a chainsaw scene) and the nudity was decent. The humor was the real selling point (if you don't find the opening courtroom scene funny, you may as well turn it off right then). But there was just something really great about this one, it was put together perfectly.

Fans of "Dead Alive" might like this one, as will fans of "Little Shop of Horrors". I really think you'll appreciate the similarities. And if you need Buscemi like Britney needs panties, this should be on the top of your must-see list.

Don't care what anyone says.. I love this movie! Twas the movie that got me hooked on Steve Buscemi many the year ago... Its odd, quirky, and cheesy-on-purpose. If you go into it expecting that.. You'll probably like it more. I dunno.. This is an all time fave of mine, and a lot of it has to do with the quirkiness of it (I like 'out-of-the-norm' movies.. especially comedies). If yer a Steve fan or not.. Check this movie out for some fun laughs :-)

Anyone familiar with the original 'Twilight Zone' series may see some familiarity to the 1964 Season 5 - Episode 32 - 'Mr. Garrity and the Graves' which was a reheat of an actual event. That story was based on an 1873 incident in Alta, Utah.

Beyond that is was a fairly enjoyable movie, I can see how it is more popular now than at its original release as it circulates out on cable and streaming services.With a cast (partial list of notables) like this the movie works well.

Steve Buscemi as the phobic, off kilter Ed Chilton, Ned Beatty as Uncle Benny with his one liners, John Glover as the consummate salesman A. J. Pattle, Sam Jenkins as Storm Reynolds, (all 5'-11" of her), Jon Gries as psycho Rob Sundheimer and Gary Farmer as the unflappable, stoic Big Lar.

I thought that the last scene fell flat but maybe they were in a hurry to wrap it up in the 1:33 runtime.

Momma's boy Ed Chilton (Steve Buscemi) has been mourning his dead mother (Miriam Margolyes) for a year. He lives with his maternal uncle Benny (Ned Beatty) and inherited her hardware store. A. J. Pattle (John Glover) from "Happy People Ltd." offers to resurrect his mother for $1000. Pattle finds the body in pieces after organ donations and the price is raised to $2500. His mother returns but she becomes more and more odd. Benny is a peeping Tom who spies on hot neighbor Storm Reynolds but she's interested in the weird Ed. Rob Sundheimer returns into their lives. He was put in prison for stealing from Ed's mother but has been released early.

I like the concept. It has good potential for a black comedy especially with Steve Buscemi at the lead. However the script from Chuck Hughes has no snap and the directions from Jonathan Wacks has no style. The promise is never fulfilled.

Ed Chilton (Steve Buscemi) is a hardware store owner / operator still mourning the death of his mother Mabel (Miriam Margolyes) one year later. Therefore he is easy prey for a smarmy, super slick salesman, A.J. Pattle (John Glover), who's hawking the reanimation of the deceased. Ed soon agrees, and after some setbacks and price haggling, Mabel is brought by Pattle to Eds' doorstep. Naturally, as Ed and his uncle Benny (Ned Beatty) quickly realize, she's not the woman she used to be. For one thing, her new diet should come as a shock to no-one.

"Ed and His Dead Mother" is a pretty predictable black comedy, with no real inspired moments or fireworks. That said, it's still easy enough to take, and enjoy, but that itself may pose a problem for some viewers: it's NOT all that dark, or insane. One might think of it as a much milder version of Peter Jacksons' "Braindead", minus the over the top gore. What makes it as entertaining as it is is this excellent cast of familiar faces. Buscemi is endearing in the lead, the often priceless Glover is a hoot as usual, Beatty is quite funny (his character is a shameless, horny voyeur), and the under rated Margolyes has fun as the re-animated mother. The supporting cast can boast a couple of other recognizable people: Eric Christmas as a defense attorney, Gary Farmer as hardware store employee "Big Lar", Jon Gries as an ex- convict, and Rance Howard (very funny himself) as a crazed reverend. Sam Jenkins (a.k.a. Mrs. Kevin Sorbo) offers up lots of sex appeal as a new neighbor. Dawn Hudson, who has a bit as a telemarketer, became Chief Executive Officer of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences years later.

The movie is decently directed by Jonathan Wacks, who'd produced the cult classic "Repo Man" about a decade previous, and whose other directorial credits include "Powwow Highway" and "Mystery Date". It's also noteworthy for its stylistic choice of black & white wrap around segments, and Mason Darings' fine score.

"Ed and His Dead Mother" isn't anything great, but it does offer some fun for a well paced 91 minutes.

Six out of 10.

A fun premise with a poor script and unfortunate casting. Sam Jenkins as Storm (dumb name for a dull as drizzle character) and, most especially, Miriam

Margoyles as Mother, who, while not untalented, was so ridiculous in this part it was actually painful to watch. Even the fine skills of Steve Buscemi, Ned Beatty, and John Glover couldn't save this film. Not so much a dark comedy as a misguided attempt to lampoon unscrupulous salesmen and mamma's boys, it was rightfully sent directly to video, but would have been best never having been made at all.

Rarely on IMDb do you see such divergent reviews--lots of HATED ITs and LOVED ITs but not so many scores in between. I think this is because to love it, you MUST be the sort of person that can appreciate sick, over-the-top comedy--like I do! This is similar to the movie EATING RAOUL, but it seems to be better written and acted.

The film begins with Ed limping through life well after the death of his beloved mother. He's obviously in a funk and can't seem to get her early death out of his mind. Then, completely out of the blue, a guy dressed in a white suit walks into Ed's hardware store and offers to bring Ed's mom back from the dead! All this only in the first few minutes of the movie! Yes, it does have some mildly gross moments (though most is described, not shown) and some VERY kooky moments (such as the newly revived Mom chasing dogs and cats up and down the street with a riding mower after she gets a taste for BLOOD). Not everyone's cup of tea, to be sure, but if you like 'em wild and irreverent and off-color, you MUST give this movie a try--if you can find it! This was not released to the theaters (wimps!) and is hard to find on tape--you'll probably need to order it, like I did.

One reviewer compared this movie, unfavorably, to DEAD ALIVE. I saw both films and thought ED AND HIS DEAD MOTHER was a much funnier and less disgusting film. I also didn't think the plot was stolen, though there are a few similarities, I grant you. DEAD ALIVE is more like an EVIL DEAD/NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD film (complete with ALL the gore) while ED AND HIS DEAD MOTHER has almost no gore and is more funny to me (though I am sure opinions will vary).

UPDATE: This film has been shown a lot on Showtime recently, so if you have the channel keep an eye out for it.

I was excited to check this movie out. A 90s horror comedy starring Steve Buscemi?! Sign me up!! You follow Ed. A man who recently lost his mother and is having a difficult time dealing with it. He owns a hardware store and one day someone comes into his store and tells him that for $1,000 he can bring his mom back to life. So he pays the guy and his mom eventually returns, but something about her just isn't quite right. Unfortunately this movie missed more that it hit for me. The humor wasn't great and didn't get any laughs out of me. The acting is fun and the characters are fun, but this movies plot was all over the place and felt very messy.

The whole subplot with the neighbor girl that likes Ed was really unnecessary, and i feel this movie just wanted an excuse to include a smoking hot actress in its cast. It doesn't add anything to the plot whatsoever. The moments before the impactful scenes are slow and kinda boring. It's just Ed talking to his Uncle Benny about the mom... and then the mom does a heinous act, but at that point i'm already checked out. Overall there's a reason why you've never heard of Ed and his Dead Mother. Other than the performances and cast, this movie was pretty bland and will most likely be forgettable. But i guess you can't go wrong with Steve Buscemi.

While I was flipping through the channels one day I happened upon Ed and His Dead Mother. Seeing as how it had Steve Buscemi in it I had to watch it. THANK GOD! This movie is great! Ned Beatty is absolutely hysterical in it. The way he delivers some of his one liners, is enough to make you laugh till you cry. I had the pleasure of watching this movie with absolutely no expectations, and I'm glad. If you just want to sit down and watch a really funny, and definitely original movie, I highly recommend this one!

Steve buscemi is ed, who admits to cutting his mother's head off, but only after she was already dead! You'll recognize his lawyer, played by eric christmas. He usually played the judge or a priest in films. Ned beatty is the goofy uncle. He was so great in hopscotch. When someone offers to bring ed's dead mother back to life, it's too good an offer to pass up! Funny bargaining over the price, which keeps changing. Mom is played by miriam margolyes. Some similarities to the films seconds (1966) and pet sematary (1989). It's silly but fun. And what a great, zany cast. And they all play it just right... no-one tries to be a comedian. Directed by jonathan wacks; he's won a bunch of film fest awards for various films. Story by chuck hughes. This was a couple years before buscemi made fargo. Margolyes was an actress for years, and even starred in a documentary about her own new life in australia.

Steve Buscemi is not a name I associate with quality films, but I watched this anyway out of morbid curiousity. As it turned out, I was being too optimistic. Not only does it rip the premise from Peter Jackson's "Dead Alive" (Watch both movies & tell me I'm wrong), but it's a horror-comedy with neither horror nor comedy... discuss amongst yourselves.

I remember having seen "Ed and His Dead Mother" once before, but I could not remember anything about it. So I decided to sit down and watch it again, because of the rather impressive cast list that there were here.

Now, the fact that I couldn't remember a single thing about it should have raised an alarm bell for me. But it didn't. That was a mistake on my behalf.

This was an unfathomably slow paced and boring movie. I managed to endure 1 hour of it before I gave up, from pure boredom and utter lack of interest in the movie. I was ready to give up after 30 minutes, but decided to give the movie a chance because of the cast and because it might just get better. But it didn't!

Not even the likes of Steve Buscemi, Ned Beatty or John Glover could manage to lift up this soul-draining wreck of a movie. It felt like they were given absolutely nothing to work with in terms of script or plot.

I had expected more from the movie, to be quite honest. But I was so sorely disappointed and not entertained at all. And I can now say in all honesty that I am not returning to finish the last 30 minutes of this movie.

"Ed and His Dead Mother" (1993) is a difficult film to classify. On one hand, it feels like a Psycho satire with Ed Gein-inspired elements, but with a clumsy execution that leaves it closer to an absurd comedy than a dark homage. Although it has funny moments, the mix of black humor and horror references doesn't quite gel, becoming tedious at various points. It's strange, almost a proto-Scary Movie, but without the spark. That said, seeing Steve Buscemi in such a peculiar role before his fame is a big plus. It's not a awfull movie, it's not a good movie, it's just a comedy about Ed Gein, and that's a weird thing to say.

Good one-liners and great deadpan performances by Steve Buscemi and Ned Beatty highlight this irreverent romantic comedy about death and hardware...? If you can find this little off-beat gem to watch, you shouldn't be disappointed.

I first saw this movie on late-night cable; and instantly fell in love with both this film, and the talent of Steve Buscemi. Viewing this movie is HIGHLY entertaining. Although, I have discovered, while watching with groups, that this movie is not for everyone. Some of my friends feel as though it is TOO unbelievable a storyline, making it hard to watch. I feel as though the unrealistic concept is WHAT makes this movie the gem that it is. I also feel as though the supporting cast is fantastic... Of course, it doesn't have the greatest acting in the world...and once again, that is part of its' cultish charm!

This dark humor film is not for everyone, but if you have a bit of a twisted intellect this is a very funny film. Not many people seem to know about this movie, which is a shame because I think it is very funny. Steve Buscemi is his usual stellar self. Ned Beatty is fantastic. Rance Howard is a riot as the minister. All around the acting seems to be first rate and I was pleasantly surprised to see how many name actors were involved in this effort. Well, some may not be "name" actors but you will recognize them from the many films and television shows they have done since this film. The production values also seem surprisingly high for this low budget film. I would heartily advise everyone to check this one out. I don't think you will be disappointed - that is again if dark humor is your bag.

If you don't understand or love this movie, maybe you should ask your relatives to reanimate you - you could be dead! And didn't you love the job that Gary Farmer did as the harware store clerk??? He continues to be the best actor in almost every film he is in. Wonder what "Fargo" would have been like if he were Buscemi's accomplice?

This movie offers a strange view on death, and the life after that. Steve Buscemi offers a so-so performance, in this funny, but sick comedy. Even though there are few good ones in the movie, some of parts of the film were funny enough to get a laugh. With an interesting plot, this movie is worth giving a try, if you have nothing better to do...

Yes, it's dumb. Steve Buscemi is a grieving Mama's boy who's offered the chance to resurrect his dead mother a year after her death. A better than average cast with Ned Beatty as Uncle Benny, Miriam Margoyles as the dead mother and John Glover as a slick resurrection salesman. There's a nice laconic style to the dialog. It comes off as a mixture of Pet Cemetary and The Music Man (without the showtunes).

With Rance Howard in a cameo as a cheerful vengeful pastor.