THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975): FEMINISM, FEAR, AND THE HORROR OF PERFECTION

THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975) d. Bryan Forbes (USA)
REVENGE OF THE STEPFORD WIVES (1980) d. Robert Fuest (USA)
THE STEPFORD CHILDREN (1987) d. Alan J. Levi (USA)
THE STEPFORD HUSBANDS (1996) d. Fred Walton (USA)
THE STEPFORD WIVES (2004) d. Frank Oz (USA)

Sexy and funny, inflammatory and spooky, director Bryan Forbes and screenwriter William Goldman’s adaptation of Ira Levin’s bestseller The Stepford Wives is that rare animal: a socially relevant yet thoroughly entertaining sci-fi/horror thriller.

Frustrated NYC photographer Joanna (Katharine Ross) moves with her family to the idyllic Connecticut suburb of Stepford. Before long, the liberated lass observes that the local female population is a submissive, domestic lot, unnaturally preoccupied with fulfilling their husbands’ every passing desire. 

Cautionary women’s lib tale? Nail-biting conspiracy yarn? Satire on sexual politics? Science fiction or social fact? Audiences of the day saw all of this and more, sparking controversy and heated discussions and it is a testament to all the artists in front of and behind the camera that it still packs a wallop today. 

Join AC and his brilliant panel of guests (Kait Astrella, Joe B., Anna Ceragioli, Dino Clark, Nicola McCafferty) as they celebrate 50 years of better living through robotics, The Stepford Wives! 
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KAIT ASTRELLA is a librarian, archivist, and indie book publicist working in New York City. Find her posting about printed books and strange fiction on Instagram @kastrella2.

JOE B. is a dad, a social media luddite, a mediocre bass player, and a devoted consumer of burritos. He teaches high school English as his day job, and he loves talkin’ books and movies.

ANNA CERAGIOLI is a Chicagoan who lives for horror movies. From throwing horror-themed dinner parties, playing Monster Bash in her pinball league, or chilling with a Goblin vinyl, it’s all horror all the time for her.

DINO CLARK has been a horror fan since I was wee lad, after my parents bought our first VCR in the mid-80s. Born and raised in Chicago, love attending horror cons & chatting about my fave horror films with fellow fans! Human Resources for most of my career, which can be a mini-horror movie at times.

NICOLA MCCAFFERTY is a PhD candidate in the department of Radio, Television, and Film at Northwestern University. Her research looks at screen representations of nonhuman women such as mannequins, dolls, robots, and aliens in order to deconstruct the overlapping categories of whiteness, humanity, and femininity. Outside of grad school, Nicola has a few stray bylines at Dread Central, has seen every Kristen Stewart movie, and runs an Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/vvitchroom/?etsrc=sdt) where she sells enamel pins, stickers, and prints inspired by horror and cult films from the 1960s to today.
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