Wicked Stepmother (1989)

Director:

Larry Cohen

Writer (WGA):

Larry Cohen (written by)

Release Date:

3 February 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

Beware of these "Bette Davis eyes"!

Plot:

A mother/daughter pair of witches descend on a yuppie family's home and cause havoc, one at a time since...

Plot Keywords:

Cat | Role Reversal | Hair | Occult | Tiger

Cast

Bette Davis	...	Miranda Pierpoint
Barbara Carrera	...	Priscilla
Colleen Camp	...	Jenny Fisher
Lionel Stander	...	Sam
David Rasche	...	Steve Fisher
Shawn Donahue	...	Mike
Tom Bosley	...	Lt. MacIntosh
Richard Moll	...	Nathan Pringle
Evelyn Keyes	...	Witch Instructor
James Dixon	...	Detective Flynn
Seymour Cassel	...	Feldshine, Magick Shop Owner
Susie Garrett	...	Mandy
Laurene Landon	...	Vanilla
Bob Goen	...	Game Show Host
Robert Frank Telfer	...	Game Show Producer

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:LH (video rating) | UK:PG | USA:PG-13

Company:

Larco Productions

Trivia:

Final film performance of Evelyn Keyes.

Quotes:

Miranda Pierpoint: Call me mama!

Movie Connections:

References "Jeopardy!" (1984)

Davis: Last and Worst

Wicked Stepmother (1989)

* (out of 4)

Bette Davis, like so many other great actors and actresses, ended her career with a really embarrassing film. Depend on who you believe, Davis walked off the film after a week due to her not liking the screenplay, or, according to director Cohen, she was in such bad health that she had to walk off. Either way the film centers on a witch (Davis) who moves in with a family (Colleen Camp, David Rasche) and soon starts to take over the house. Her daughter (Barbara Carrera) then comes to stay and more trouble follows. The truth behind why Davis left this production will never be known but I seriously doubt the film would have turned out very good either way. Cohen, best known for various horror movies, doesn't have too much to work with his as his screenplay undoubtedly had to be rewritten with the daughter aspect added in. Some would say Davis walking off the film would ruin it all around but even the stuff she's in doesn't appear to be written overly well. We get a few campy moments because it's rather strange seeing someone like Davis doing a movie like this. She is over acting quite a lot but if she was really unhappy with the screenplay, I kept wondering if she was giving a bad performance on purpose. The comedy falls flat on its face but I must admit that there's some weird charm with the way Davis is delivering her lines. The supporting cast are all pretty bland and doesn't bring any energy to the film. Tom Bosley is pretty bad as a detective. Even with Davis walking off the film there's no excuse for all the other issues with the movie. This includes it not really knowing what it's trying to do because on one hand it tries to come off as a kids movie but then we'll have another scene, like the sex scene between the witch and the married father, which seems out of place. I find it shocking that the movie got a theatrical release because it looks like a TV movie at best and that might be an insult to TV movies. Fans of Davis might want to check this out just to see her final film but others should stay far, far away unless you're a fan of bad movies.