Carly considers her mother Kendall out of touch, fights with her younger brother Joshua, and is currently upset about canceling plans with her boyfriend because her grandparents are coming to visit.

They reach Riley's house, where Carly watches television reports of the mass hysteria, implying that the static is compelling parents across the U.S to slaughter their children; Dr. Oz is interviewed, telling people how it compares to savaging in pig populations.

Kendall and Brent, bonding over their shared filicidal desire, run a hose from their oven's natural gas line to the basement to poison the kids.

The website's consensus reads: "Mom and Dad's gonzo premise serves as an effective springboard for a wickedly dark, bloody comedy—and an appropriately over-the-top performance from Nicolas Cage.

[12] Adam White of The Daily Telegraph gave the 4/5 stars, saying that it was "Both a torrid exploitation cinema throwback, and a metaphor for a generation of kids screwed over by their elders.

"[13] Tara Brady of The Irish Times also gave it 4/5 stars, writing: "Think back on the most unhinged screen moments of Nicolas Cage's career...

Multiply all these scenes together and you still can't match the awesome lunacy of Nic Cage killing a pool table in the delightfully delirious Mom and Dad.

"[14] Simran Hans of The Observer gave it 3/5 stars, writing: "Almost ugly ultra-HD, a dated dubstep soundtrack and ketchup-splatter special effects might make a lesser film less appealing, but here these lowbrow touches work to Mom and Dad's advantage.

"[16] Charlotte O'Sullivan of the Evening Standard called it "a hilarious, knowing bit of schlock about a plague that turns parents into predators", and wrote: "Mom and Dad is like Andrey Zvyagintsev's Loveless but with more dead people and far fewer trees.

"[17] Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail gave it 1.5/4 stars, writing: "Nicolas Cage does crazy like no one else, but his descent into insanity here - not too far from how his character acts at the beginning of the film, really - can't elevate Taylor's juvenile take on adulthood.

"[18] Kevin Maher of The Times gave it 2/5 stars, saying that its social satire was "briefly compelling", but added: "The 'joke' soon wears thin, however, and the film, with few actual ideas to express, resorts to slapdash plotting and dead-end gore.

"[19] Rex Reed of The New York Observer gave it 0/4 stars, writing: "With an agonizing rupture of craft and common sense, it showcases a performance of screaming, over-the-top hysteria by Nicolas Cage that must be seen to be fully believed, but that is not a recommendation.