The Stepford Wives: Book vs the 1975 Film!

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I was shopping at Half Price Books when I came across a hardcover 1st printing of “The Stepford Wives” published in 1972. Ira Levin’s follow-up to his hugely successful “Rosemary’s Baby” (p. 1967) may not have shared the same level of achievement as its predecessor but made its own cultural impact nonetheless. “The Stepford Wives” is a 145-page, satirical novella touching on the rise of feminism, a woman’s role in the home, as well as their husbands’ fear of losing control. It would inspire two films of the same name: a serious adaptation in 1975 and a more comedic rendering in 2004 starring Nicole Kidman. The first movie even inspired three indirect made-for-TV sequels – Revenge of The Stepford Wives (1980), The Stepford Children (1987), and The Stepford Husbands (1996). Despite receiving mixed reviews, the word “Stepford” has since entered our pop culture lexicon to describe someone acting perfect, phony, or subservient. Having seen both screen versions, I was interested in reading the book and did so in the span of one chilly, Chicago afternoon. 

So how does it compare to the 1975 film? Anyone not worried about SPOLIERS can read on and find out…

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Physical Media Anonymous: The Art of Double Dipping

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I was sharing my physical media collection a couple weeks back and mentioned organizing them alphabetically so that all my copies of a specific title were in a single location. It immediately occurred to me how nutty that must have read to a non-collector and I suppose, logically, it is. Every year I tell myself I’m not going to purchase another release of a film I already own and every year I do exactly that. I’m sure I’m not alone. If any of you fellow super collectors out there have only one release of JAWS (1975). The THING (1982), or Halloween (1978) then pat yourselves on the back because you’re a far stronger person than me.

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Andrew Neiderman’s PIN: An Above Average Paperback from Hell

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Most of the vintage horror paperbacks in my collection are a lot more fun to look at than they are to read. I should know. I plowed through as many as I could last year before landing myself in a reading rut; fatigued from an overdose of absurd plotlines and bad writing. Lately, I’ve had more success with modern novels while peppering a few old pulpy Paperbacks from Hell in-between. My latest choice, PIN by Andrew Neiderman (1981), proved a pleasant surprise. Despite featuring many of the fantastical elements of your typical ‘80s horror paperback, there are interesting psychological twists as well. Consequently, PIN is more sophisticated than many in its genre.

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A24’s “X” or What Happens when a Slasher gets turned on its head?

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Let’s have a conversation about A24 and their latest horror film, X (2022). Since this independent film company began ten years ago, it’s truly made its mark in creating unique entertainment you’ll ponder long after the end credits have scrolled. Consequently, A24 films can, and will, divide their audience. Not everyone is looking for deep, artsy, or often weird experiences when watching a horror movie. Sometimes this is made worse by fellow enthusiasts who respond to A24 criticism with an air of superiority – You say you hated Midsommar? Well, maybe it was just too deep for you? Thereby fanning the flames even further.

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Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022: Where the Woke are Gonna Croak

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There’s nothing like a divisive horror film to shake up our happy community. Don’t believe me? Just hop on any Facebook horror movie page and post, “I’m thinking of watching ‘Hereditary.’ Is it any good?” or “Is the ‘Suspiria’ remake better than the original?” Then log back on in an hour and peruse the comments. Recently, Netflix ignited some discord of their own with Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022), the long unanticipated retcon sequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). I like some of the Texas Chainsaw movies but this flick was never on my radar and I tuned out any and all news leading up to it. That is until the trailer dropped and my apathy gave way to disgust. This was thanks in large part to the cringe-worthy ripoff of Sally Hardesty returning like Laurie Strode in Halloween 2018 and a scene showing a group of young people telling Leatherface he’s going to get “canceled.” The latter would trigger a cavalcade of angry YouTubers who’d quickly decry the new film as ‘woke’ a.k.a. fan poison for any established franchise. Then I sat down and actually watched the movie. And you know what? It changed everything. Before I explain, be advised this post does contain a few SPOILERS.

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Christina Henry’s “Near the Bone” is Near to my Heart

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Christina Henry book "Near the Bone" with monster figure

While sharing the books I read in 2021, I admitted failing my Goodreads goal of twenty-five books. Rather than lowering the bar, I decided to reaffirm that target for 2022 and, this time by golly, I’m confident I’m going to reach it. In January alone, I finished eleven books – just four less than I did in my entire 2021. In contrast to last year’s selections, I’ve been enjoying more modern novels with just a few old “Paperbacks from Hell” thrown in. Instead of dropping one big recap at the end of the year which was, quite frankly, a pain in the butt, I’m going to review some throughout the year.  Hopefully, it’ll prevent a lengthy post while also keeping me accountable for my goal. That being said, I couldn’t be happier with my first read of 2022, “Near the Bone” (Berkley/2021) by Chicago author, Christina Henry.

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