REVENGE OF THE STEPFORD WIVES (1980)
We may as well end Random Sequel Month (part two) with a made-for-TV flick. A couple of weeks back, I decided to sit down with 1975's The Stepford Wives, which I had never seen. I was honestly impressed. It's a dour quasi-mystery with staid 70's sensibilities all over the place. I lucked into a copy of Revenge of the Stepford Wives, and considering the hooky concept, I figured this would be a trite retelling of the original. I was right. And wrong. The plot is familiar in that there are plenty of creepy housewives who are way too invested in household appliances, but the facade of the town is at least punctured in a different way. A reporter checks into a motel with the assignment of doing a story on the idyllic Stepford. We know what she's going to find, and that's okay. Sharon Gless is agreeable as our journalist-turned-gumshoe. She befriends an amiable gal who is new to Stepford herself. The gal is played by Julie Kavner.
Does that name ring a bell? The whole time I was watching, I kept thinking that I recognized her voice. Turns out, she's Marge Simpson. D'oh! Again, expectations are subverted, as director Robert Fuest manages to wring some suspense out of a vanilla set-up. Speaking of vanilla, Revenge looks like a made-for-TV movie. Eh, it is what it is. That's true, y'know. It is what it is, and you can't tell me it isn't. Random trivia! Two more sequels followed. That isn't really trivia, but it was trivial enough to mention. It's no surprise that Fuest pulled convincing performances out of his actors. He wrangled Vincent Price for both of the Dr. Phibes films. This is a solid escapade if you don't need bells and whistles with your spooky entertainment. That does it for me. I'm worn to a frazzle on account of shepherding a sequel to Random Sequel Month. You'll have to tune in to find out if I make this a trilogy.
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