The Stepford Wives (1975) - Mirco-Review

I think that there is something extremely unsettling and truly disturbing about the idea of a secret club of men who that want to replace you with a robot clone, all taking place in a supposed suburban haven. The Stepford Wives was based on a novel of the same name written by Ira Levin (who also wrote Rosemary's Baby.) 

The film follows a family who decide to move from Manhattan to Stepford, a town where everyone is living the American Dream. Joanne, the mother of the family, starts to think that the housewives of Stepford are too perfect. Joanne and her friend start to get even more suspicious of the members of the men's club. Joanne, now convinced the women of Stepford aren't human, has to get out of Stepford before they change her as well, but will she be able to get away?

A few years back I watched Nicole Kidmam's remake and all I can remember is how stupid the whole movie was. They took this disturbing story and made it a crappy low-brow comedy. I was left with a bad taste in my mouth, until I saw that Stephen King added the original film to his list of horrors that contributed to the genre, after which I immediately wanted to see it...

Needless to say, I was not let down. From the family's arrival in Stepford I was captivated! The story was great, which is not surprising since Rosemary's Baby is considered to be one of the best horror films ever made. Many of the same themes explored in Rosemary's Baby are also present in Stepford. One of the biggest themes it has in common is the protagonist's feeling that everyone around her is out to get her, even her husband. The film's continuous satirical commentary on the absurdity of gender roles is also very entertaining.

Kathrine Ross, who plays Joanna, is one of my favorite parts of this movie (and the fact that she reminded me a lot of a young Catherine Deneuve makes it even better!) The rest of the supporting cast also did wonderful jobs. The kids were as bad as kid actors usually are but at least they got near to no screen time.

Left: Kathrine Ross. Right: Cathrine Deneuve

For most of the film I found the characters believable and interesting but close to the end of the film, Joanne's actions seemed extremely stupid and unbelievable. How she reacted resembled Melanie Daniels in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, who towards the end of the film seemed to lose the ability to successfully open a door... 

The Stepford Wives is truly a great psychological horror film. With a great story, great characters and great direction this is a definite see for any film lover!

Rating: 8/10