ReelRecsWhat to watch
Desperate Living poster

MOVIE · 1977

Desperate Living

ComedyCrimeDramaFantasyHorror91 min

After murdering her husband, Peggy Gravel (Liz Renay) goes on the run with her maid Grizelda and washes up in Mortville, a refuge for thieves, killers, and other outcasts. There, Edith Massey’s Queen Carlotta rules over a shabby little kingdom with brute force and bizarre decrees, while Peggy tries to carve out a place among the town’s feuding residents. Written and directed by John Waters, the film turns crime farce into an underground fairy tale full of fugitives, sexual provocation, and grotesque power games.

Find out what fits your taste.

Rate movies and shows in ReelRecs, save your next watch, and get personal recommendations from the Reel Recs online service. Free on iPhone and Android.

Open this title in ReelRecs

Where to watch in US

These offers have not all been recently verified. Check the provider for current availability.

Rent

Availability checked October 24, 2026. Offers can change. Rentals and purchases are separate from subscriptions.

More to consider

Female Trouble (1974)

After her parents refuse to buy the cha-cha heels she wants for Christmas, teenage delinquent Dawn Davenport runs away from home and stumbles toward a life of crime. Divine is Dawn, hitchhiking through one disaster afte…

Which Way Is Up? (1977)

Orange picker Leroy Jones accidentally becomes a union leader, gets run out of town, and lands in Los Angeles with his marriage already fraying. Richard Pryor is Leroy, and he also turns up as Leroy’s sex-obsessed fathe…

Bad (1977)

Carroll Baker is Hazel, who runs a beauty salon out of her house while arranging hit jobs for a circle of ruthless women. When Perry King's L.T. shows up broke and looking for work, Hazel reluctantly considers using a m…

Catalogue checked October 30, 2026. Use ReelRecs with an assistant