Serial Mom

Directed by John Waters

An unlikely and wonderfully productive pairing: iconoclast director John Waters wanted a completely conventional, straight-faced orchestral score for his darkly satirical suburban comedy starring Kathleen Turner as a murderous housewife — because the straight music made the comedy funnier. Poledouris delivered exactly that, playing it entirely earnest. Waters was so grateful he later gave Poledouris his personal copy of the Cherry 2000 album, which the composer himself didn't own. The collaboration led directly to Cecil B. DeMented.