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Pink Flamingos: A Screenplay
The return of a spectacular, reviled, and iconic classic of American filth!
John Waters takes us back to the scene of his original crime against good taste. Watch as Babs Johnson fights to hold on to her title as “Filthiest Person Alive,“ fending off the craven attempts to dethrone her by her nemeses Connie and Raymond Marble.
Read along as Waters takes us on a romp through his camp and filthy vision of Baltimore, from nefarious baby-stealing lesbians to scenes of unspeakable things done to unsuspecting chickens, to the film’s iconic and revolting coup de grace (no spoilers, but it is just as stomach-churning on the page more than fifty years later!). Pink Flamingos is John Waters at his provocative, disgusting, piety-puncturing best, with the hellish and hilarious trash masterpiece that first made him a household name.
John Waters takes us back to the scene of his original crime against good taste. Watch as Babs Johnson fights to hold on to her title as “Filthiest Person Alive,“ fending off the craven attempts to dethrone her by her nemeses Connie and Raymond Marble.
Read along as Waters takes us on a romp through his camp and filthy vision of Baltimore, from nefarious baby-stealing lesbians to scenes of unspeakable things done to unsuspecting chickens, to the film’s iconic and revolting coup de grace (no spoilers, but it is just as stomach-churning on the page more than fifty years later!). Pink Flamingos is John Waters at his provocative, disgusting, piety-puncturing best, with the hellish and hilarious trash masterpiece that first made him a household name.
96 pages, Paperback
Published May 27, 2025
About the author
John Waters
101 books1,532 followersJohn Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, personality, visual artist and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films: Pink Flamingos and Hairspray. He is recognizable by his pencil-thin moustache.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 26, 2026
John Waters is one of my favorite filmmakers.
I love anything to do with camp.
This is an over the top comedy that is represents Waters at the peak of his grotesque power to repel and revel in filth.
Yes, this is one of the most shocking movies ever filmed: and it with good reason- it's about people who want to be considered the filthiest people alive!
The film is immortal and will live on in infamy due to several scenes that you either find uproarious hilarious- (I do!) and scenes that make you want to gag- (I did gag!)
Reading Waters' screenplay of the film starring the immortal Divine as Babs Johnson- outlaw queen and filthiest person alive made me laugh till my sides hurt.
Living with her band of outlaw teenaged and young adult children on the fringes of the Baltimore woods-everyone has to complete in scenes for the most vile, and sleaziness.
For those who saw this film, there is Babs’ mother who eats and fetishizes eggs all day, bizarre sex scenes, a package containing something gross, a chicken, and a little dog.
A scene description such as "a look of bliss comes over her face when she feels the cold steak against her warm flesh" (21) made me laugh out loud- but there's so much more that I am not going to mention, so I don't spoil it for you.
I love anything to do with camp.
This is an over the top comedy that is represents Waters at the peak of his grotesque power to repel and revel in filth.
Yes, this is one of the most shocking movies ever filmed: and it with good reason- it's about people who want to be considered the filthiest people alive!
The film is immortal and will live on in infamy due to several scenes that you either find uproarious hilarious- (I do!) and scenes that make you want to gag- (I did gag!)
Reading Waters' screenplay of the film starring the immortal Divine as Babs Johnson- outlaw queen and filthiest person alive made me laugh till my sides hurt.
Living with her band of outlaw teenaged and young adult children on the fringes of the Baltimore woods-everyone has to complete in scenes for the most vile, and sleaziness.
For those who saw this film, there is Babs’ mother who eats and fetishizes eggs all day, bizarre sex scenes, a package containing something gross, a chicken, and a little dog.
A scene description such as "a look of bliss comes over her face when she feels the cold steak against her warm flesh" (21) made me laugh out loud- but there's so much more that I am not going to mention, so I don't spoil it for you.
June 21, 2026
"Kill everyone now! Condone first-degree murder! Advocate cannibalism! Eat shit! Filth is my politics, filth is my life!"
Long live Divine!
This is the filthiest thing I’ve ever held in my hands. Quite the masterpiece!
Long live Divine!
This is the filthiest thing I’ve ever held in my hands. Quite the masterpiece!
October 9, 2025
Thanks to Macmillan Audio, the amazing John Waters (author), and Libro.fm for providing a free advance audiobook of Pink Flamingos: A Screenplay expertly read by John Waters himself. Getting free stuff does not influence my reviews in any way.
John Waters, known for his shockingly trashy screenplays, wrote what is probably his trashiest one here. It catapulted Divine and himself to underground fame and has been banned in multiple countries. Oh well, says me. And him, too.
And hopefully also some of you who enjoy some super trashy/almost unreadable reads. This audiobook is one of several from Waters being released 10/21/2025. 4.5 stars from me!
John Waters, known for his shockingly trashy screenplays, wrote what is probably his trashiest one here. It catapulted Divine and himself to underground fame and has been banned in multiple countries. Oh well, says me. And him, too.
And hopefully also some of you who enjoy some super trashy/almost unreadable reads. This audiobook is one of several from Waters being released 10/21/2025. 4.5 stars from me!
June 13, 2026
Filthiest screenplay ever 🦩
June 14, 2025
4.5/5 - I adore John Waters and could not resist getting the screenplay of, arguably, his most controversial film.
“Filth is my politics! Filth is my life!
“Filth is my politics! Filth is my life!
April 27, 2026
FILTHY!!!
November 30, 2025
Weird as hell. John Waters is so unique. Extreme horror before that was a thing. Best summed up by a blurb on the back, “Like a septic tank explosion…”
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January 11, 2026FILTH IS MY POLITICS! FILTH IS MY LIFE!
staff rec blurb for libro. fm, jan 26: The master of American filth, John Waters, and his Baltimore slum goddess muse, Divine, are BACK in this one-of-a-kind ode to the freaks and the forgotten. Grimy, gruesome, weird, & queer, I love Pink Flamingos more than my own filthiness––more than my own hair color!––and I hope you do too. Read by the author, as God intended, but proceed with caution. IYKYK.
staff rec blurb for libro. fm, jan 26: The master of American filth, John Waters, and his Baltimore slum goddess muse, Divine, are BACK in this one-of-a-kind ode to the freaks and the forgotten. Grimy, gruesome, weird, & queer, I love Pink Flamingos more than my own filthiness––more than my own hair color!––and I hope you do too. Read by the author, as God intended, but proceed with caution. IYKYK.
June 5, 2025
KILL EVERYONE NOW CONDONE FIRST DEGREE MURDER ADVOCATE CANNIBALISM.... EAT SHIT! FILTH ARE MY POLITICS FILTH IS MY LIFE, TAKE WHATEVER YOUD LIKE!
HOWS THIS FOR A CENTERSPREAD
HOWS THIS FOR A CENTERSPREAD
November 19, 2025
a perfect perfect screen play and movie one of my favorites forever
November 21, 2025
his shit is still dirty.
January 3, 2026
Even trashier in print.
January 4, 2026
I absolutely adore John Waters and everything he's done! I loved reading this screenplay especially after rewatching pink flamingos and I can hear every characters voice lol!!
January 20, 2026
Bad taste at its finest. A cult classic in every sense at a time when going against the establishment was cool and original. Not for everyone.
March 31, 2026
Pope of Trash indeed!
May be the smartest and most disgusting mind on this planet.
Read very fluidly, I can't wait to see how his writing changes as I go through his filmography.
May be the smartest and most disgusting mind on this planet.
Read very fluidly, I can't wait to see how his writing changes as I go through his filmography.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews