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It is not often, or not often enough, that a Saturday night brings together three of pop culture’s most dramatic icons: Shakespeare, vampires, and a Lifetime movie starring Tori Spelling. Lucky for all of us, last night was one of those nights.
The remake of Mother, May I Sleep With Danger? premiered tonight night. The update was brought to life, in part, by James Franco, who executive produced and also has a small part in the movie.
The first Mother, May I Sleep With Danger? celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The popularity of the original is based less on what might be called its intrinsic artistic merit and more on its capture of the cultural zeitgeist of its moment. In it, Tori Spelling plays a naive and trusting college student in an abusive relationship with an obsessive stalker. She doesn’t know of his murderous past and well, of course, everything ends with him chasing her with an ax at a remote cabin in the woods.
The modern update pays homage to its processor while being something completely its own. It's as if the original version had a one night stand with The Craft and this movie is the result. There are scenes that are word-for-word from 1996 and there are scenes that have vampires. There’s a Macbeth storyline that is brand-new and super-bloody. Spelling returns, but this time, she’s the naive mom instead of the naive college student. Leila George plays Leah, Spelling's daughter. In this version, Leah brings home her girlfriend, Pearl (played by Emily Meade), instead of the original stalker boyfriend to dinner with mom.
Take a peek into the dark and wacky world created by James Franco, Tori Spelling, and the whole vampire-college student crew.
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Fans of the original will recognize Ivan Sergei, the OG stalker boyfriend Kevin/Bobby. Instead of a murderous medical student, he's the professor lecturing on "Vampires and Sexuality." He breaks down Twilight for you, all in the interest of higher education.
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Leah and Pearl are just a couple of modern girls snapping a selfie on the roof. Little does Leah suspect that her girlfriend is a Nightwalker. Spoiler: Pearl does show up in those pictures. Consider that vampire myth busted.
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Tables have turned for Tori. Now she's the mom who doesn't know how to cook. This scene is one of the few played exactly like the original. No word on whether she drives a Jaguar and owns a pair of Annie Hall-style pants like the mom in the first movie.
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Leah shocks everyone when she lands the role of Macbeth in a college production. The three witches shock no one when their big scene gets a little touchy-feely. "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes" indeed.
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In this behind-the-scenes production shot, James Franco is just as surprised as everyone else with the undead turn that his production of "The Scottish Play" takes. Macbeth's ghost has nothing on this crew.
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Leah takes her role as Macbeth very seriously. The witches take their massive buckets of blood just as seriously.
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Notes from a director should always include things like, "I think you should probably get cleaned up."
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All good Halloween parties end up in a cemetery with a vampire, right? Leah has survived a date rape from the creepy boy with a crush, but her girlfriend's undead posse are another story.
Photo: Courtesy of Lifetime.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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