Pink Flamingos: A Screenplay

by John Waters

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.

91 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 27, 2025

About the author

John 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.

Reviews

[Paula W · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Snakes · Rating 3 out of 5]

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…”

[ebigeyl]

FILTH 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.

[superficialtitties · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[mimimitch skultsz · Rating 5 out of 5]

you stand accused of assholism

[shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

a perfect perfect screen play and movie one of my favorites forever

[Ezri Baedeker · Rating 4 out of 5]

his shit is still dirty.

[Matt Hardman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even trashier in print.

[Lily Hokanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!!

[Lauren Langan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.