alastair_m Review of The Stepford Wives

The Stepford Wives (1975)

Pretty good little horror flick that just has something special about it.

[7/10 · 13 November 2001]

I will admit, this movie isn't a masterpiece. It's kind of slow and sure isn't up to the standard of Ira Levin's previous film adaptation "Rosemary's Baby," but hey, neither was the book. I think the most appealing aspects of this movie are the performances by the two leads Katharine Ross (The Graduate) and Paula Prentiss (Man's Favorite Sport?.) Ross plays a young wife, mother of 2, who moves to Stepford, Connectituct with her family. There she makes friends with Prentiss and the two start to suspect something of the perpetually blissful wives of Stepford who are intent on nothing but pleasing their families. The two leads carry on so well together that we are reminded of any other time we moved to a strange new place and made that first critical friend. Ross is vibrant, charasmatic, cool and compassionate and Prentiss provides a complimentary sense of humour and an outgoing spirit. The movie critisizes first, and then tries to scare you. The decision to integrate dark humour, mocking suburban lifestyles and sexist marital expectations, saves the film from becoming a run of the mill spook picture. As far as scariness is concerned, I've got to admit, it's not relentless horror, if that's what you're looking for. But, what there is is way better than average. Mounting suspense,one good sudden shock and how much we are made to care for the likable leads make up most of the fright factor. It seems like "The Stepford Wives" has been popping up a bit more lately. For it's early critics: would this ever had happened if the movie didn't have something to offer? A good horror movie, with this much insight, is RARE these days, and that's why "The Stepford Wives" has endured.