There was one insurmountable problem facing John Waters when he set about making Desperate Living after Female Trouble. No Divine. The mighty one was unavailable to do this particular film and therefore deprived Waters of his brightest and most dynamic star.

That he was able to muster up a perfectly decent account of the underside in his usual unflinching, disgusting way is testament to his own genius and the considerable skills of some of his traveling entourage of heavy kink.

The film follows Mrs. Gravel who conspires to murder her husband with the aid of her humungous maid (The enormously talented Jean Hill) and flees to the demented town of Mortville rule with an iron fist by the gorgeous but sadistic Queen Carlotta and her leather clad SS clones. Conditions in Mortville are beyond description, even for a John Waters production.

The place is a cesspool of human vermin, but within the madness there is real humanity and charm. Edith Massey shines as Carlotta, a breathtaking sight in her majestic outfits and crown. If only Divine had been involved! Though fans of Waters should not be disappointed, others may find proceedings just a touch shocking and perhaps a little muddled.

Certainly, this is not in the class of Pink Flamingo's or Female Trouble for that matter, yet there is yet another superlative performance from Mink Stole as the paranoid schizophrenic Mrs. Gravel. Her acting is on an entirely different level altogether.

The glorious Mink is yet another unsung treasure that Waters introduced to the world. Desperate Living is marvelous, tacky, trashy, cheesy, demented fun, but if you are looking for vintage Waters this would perhaps not make the grade.