Mother, May I Sleep with Danger: Why is This Movie a Cult Classic?

There's no shortage of bad made-for-TV movies. Just turn on the Lifetime Movie Network and you'll get a healthy serving of women-in-distress movies. Over the past several years, there is one movie that sticks out from the pack as being the "Made-For-TV-movie-to-end-all-made-for-TV movies" - and that movie is Tori Spelling's Mother, May I Sleep with Danger. So why, out of all the bad Lifetime movies out there, has Mother, May I Sleep With Danger become a cult classic? Let's take a closer look.

The premise
This 1996 made-for-TV movie casts Tori Spelling as Laurel, a cute college student with a dreamy boyfriend who holds a sinister secret. He's murdered his last girlfriend, and by golly, should Laurel cross him, he's not afraid to murder again. Uh oh. Better watch your back, Tori!

Mother, May I Sleep with Danger has a bad plot:
Laurel's your typical blonde college student with issues. She has an eating disorder and is obsessed with exercise to keep her weight down. Then she meets "Kevin" (Ivan Sergei), a charming young man with an elusive past. Turns out his real name is Billy. He stole another student's identify to hide that he murdered his ex-girlfriend. She brings Kevin/Billy home to meet Mom (how sweet). Mom's dead-on intuition (naturally!) figures something's amiss with this guy, so she pays a visit to the police department. The police department gives up all information (without any hesitation, of course) about this guy.

Crazy Kevin shows his obsessive side and the next thing you know, he abducts Laurel, brings her to a mountain cabin and holds her captive. Laurel escapes his clutches by paddling down the river in a canoe and effortlessly knocks out Kevin with...an oar. Okay!

The Over-The-Top Bad Acting
This is supposed to be a suspense-filled thriller. But instead, you'll find yourself laughing at the absurd, over-the-top acting of all characters involved. Tori Spelling's bad acting is to be expected, but it's an extra-terrible masterpiece in Mother, May I Sleep with Danger. Her canoe paddling scene will have you in stitches as you watch her struggle to use the paddles. Ivan Sergei is laughable as the crazy boyfriend with a penchant for danger. Her mother (you know, the one she's asking if it's okay to sleep with danger) is awkward and annoying.

The Bad Title
Sure, most Lifetime movies have a bad title (Baby Monitor: Sound of Fear, anyone?) but Mother, May I Sleep with Danger takes the cake. It's extra cheesy and oh-so-bad. Had Laurel simply asked her mother the title question, "Mother, may I sleep with danger?" the whole sinister situation could've very well been avoided. What do you expect "mother" to say? "Sure, daughter! Go ahead, sleep with danger. Knock yourself out and have fun! Don't forget to write!"

Please.

She uses the word, "may" instead of "can"-- as if to be more polite and get the "yes" answer she wants.

Then there's the "danger" in reference to the boyfriend. Who does that?

Mother, May I Sleep with Danger has every essential element of a bad TV movie rolled into one flick! Bad acting, cheesy title, predictable storyline, plotholes galore, and best of all--a 90210 alum! This an excellent movie to watch when you're home sick. Or grab some friends, order pizza and beer and giggle at the cult classic goodness! You can watch Mother, May I Sleep with Danger on the Lifetime network or Lifetime Movie Network. Check the website for airtimes.

Or, if you want to own the cult classic, Mother May I Sleep with Danger will be released to DVD on November 23, 2009.