The Stepford Wives

This is, perhaps, one of the first "feminist" horror films. Even for those who have not seen it, the term "Stepford Wife" is ingrained in pop culture, to the point that you most likely already know the twist ending. I imagine if it were released nowadays it would draw particular ire from the reactionary crowd as a "man-hating" film, but luckily it came out in the 70's, and has remained a cult curiosity. However, despite it's good intentions and decent direction, I just wasn't blown away by it.

The pace is rather glacial, and the film does a horrible job of making it's brainwashed townsfolk seem creepy. Luckily, a fantastic cast, especially the hilarious and relatable duo of Katharine Ross and Paula Prentiss, keep things moving, even when not much is happening. The film does ramp up some decent suspense very close to the end, but it's defused rather quickly. Despite all this, the picture is effective, most of the time not even feeling like a horror film, but more of a satirical lambasting of misogyny. It's implications are still worth pondering today, and it's themes more timely than ever. It's just not very effective as a horror or a thriller film.