THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975)

Katharine Ross and her lawyer husband move from NYC to quiet Stepford, CT.  Low crime, lower divorce rates, tight real estate market.  From the outside, it appears to be Heaven on Earth (if you're into that sort of quiet life).  From the very beginning Katharine gets a bad vibe about the joint, but she can't quite put her finger on it.  It's like it's almost too perfect.  Over time, she begins to unravel the mystery (is there even a mystery or is it all in her head?) and what she finds...well, you'll just have to watch it for yourself.

I liked this film quite a bit and it has me very interested in reading Ira Levin's original novel.  And while we're on the subject of Ira Levin...ROSEMARY'S BABY.  Can you imagine how awesome and creepy THE STEPFORD WIVES would have been if Roman Polanski had directed it?!  Oh well, just a thought. 

I don't know how well it holds up after repeat viewings, but for a single viewing, it's definitely worthwhile and and very thought provoking.  I wasn't an adult back in 1975, but I bet this movie freaked some people out when it first came out and probably stimulated a lot of interesting thoughts and conversations.  I bet a lot of first dates were either turned awesome or awful by the opinions discussed after leaving the movie theater.

Very little violence, but the implied creepiness makes up for it.  Check it out!

Part 2 - Revenge of the Stepford Wives (1980)
Part 3 - The Stepford Children (1987)
Part 4 - The Stepford Husbands (1996)
Remake - The Stepford Wives (2004)