Wicked Stepmother: Difference between revisions

Wicked Stepmother
Wicked Stepmother
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Larry Cohen
Written by	Larry Cohen
Produced by	Robert Littman
Starring	Bette Davis; Barbara Carrera
Cinematography	Bryan England
Edited by	David Kern
Music by	Robert Folk
Production; company	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	February 3, 1989 (U.S.);
Running time	93 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$5 million
Box office	$70,580 (North America)

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Wicked Stepmother is a 1989 American black comedy fantasy film written, produced, and directed by Larry Cohen and starring Bette Davis and Barbara Carrera.

It is best known for being the last film of Bette Davis, who withdrew from the project after filming began, citing major problems with the script, Cohen's direction, and the way she was being photographed.^[1] Cohen later claimed she really dropped out due to ill health but avoided publicizing the truth for fear it would affect potential future employment.^[2] Davis disputed this claim.^[1]

Synopsis

The original plot cast Davis as the title character, a chain-smoking witch named Miranda, who has married Sam while his vegetarian daughter Jenny and son-in-law Steve are on vacation. They return to find their new stepmother has filled their refrigerator with meat and played havoc with their collection of herbs. To explain Davis' absence, the script was rewritten to introduce Miranda's daughter Priscilla, a witch who inhabited Miranda's cat. They both share one existence in human form and while one is human the other must live in the form of a cat the rest of the time. Priscilla takes on a human form while Miranda's spirit inhabits the body of the cat. Priscilla then sets out to defeat Jenny who has figured out that there is something going on. Priscilla uses witchcraft and deception to convince everyone Jenny is wrong. The entire time she refuses to switch bodies with Miranda. Jenny then figures out that they are witches and tries to stop them from ruining her family.

The film ends with a hint at a possible sequel.

Cast

Bette Davis as Miranda Pierpoint
Barbara Carrera as Priscilla Pierpoint
Lionel Stander as Sam
Colleen Camp as Jenny Fisher
David Rasche as Steve Fisher
Shawn Donahue as Mike Fisher
Tom Bosley as Lt. MacIntosh
Richard Moll as Nathan Pringle
Evelyn Keyes as Witch Instructor
James Dixon as Detective Flynn
Seymour Cassel as Feldshine

Joan Crawford appears in a still photograph as the deceased wife of Sam and mother of Jenny. The estranged relationship between Jenny and her late mother is a reference to the exposé memoir Mommie Dearest, written by Crawford's adopted daughter, Christina Crawford. Crawford was also known for her feud with Davis during the filming of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962).

Reception

Box office

Wicked Stepmother was released in the United States on February 3, 1989, and became a box-office bomb, grossing $43,749 in its opening weekend and $70,580 in North America on a budget of $5 million.^[3]

Critical response

A review in Fangoria lambasted Wicked Stepmother, stating that "this mind-boggingly awful comedy/fantasy offers no laughs, but does provide some of the creepiest moments of half-dead acting ever committed to film" and "emerges as the first unmitigated disaster from the usually reliable Cohen and a tarnish on the memory of Bette Davis".^[4] VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever gave the film one and a half bone out of four in its 1991 edition,^[5] but revised it to one later on, concluding that "Davis's move was wise; the result is dismal, and would have been had she stayed".^[6] Blockbuster Entertainment's Guide to Movies and Videos labeled Wicked Stepmother a "horror cheapie" and rated it one out of five stars.^[7] In contrast, TV Guide calls the film "a good-natured, occasionally hilarious spookshow, graced with a few ingenious special effects and sassily acted—with Davis giving a gleefully nasty, if abbreviated, last film performance".^[8]

Accolades


Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
1990	12th Stinkers Bad Movie Awards	Worst Picture	Wicked Stepmother	Nominated	^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b Easton, Nina J. (January 3, 1989). "Bette Davis Smoking Over 'Stepmother'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
^ Cohen, Larry (July–August 2012). "I Killed Bette Davis". Film Comment. Vol. 48, no. 4. pp. 36–43. JSTOR 43459330. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
^ "Box office takings in North America, 1988-1999" (XLS). Economics Network. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
^ Dr. Cyclops (July 1990). "Wicked Stepmother (MGM/UA)". The Video Eye of Dr. Cyclops. Fangoria. No. 94. p. 30. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
^ "Wicked Stepmother". VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever. Detroit, Michigan: Visible Ink Press. 1991. p. 672. ISBN 0-8103-9404-9. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
^ "Wicked Stepmother". VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever. Detroit, Michigan: Visible Ink Press. 1993. p. 771. ISBN 0-8103-9425-1. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
^ Castell, Ron, ed. (1996). "Wicked Stepmother". Blockbuster Entertainment Guide to Movies and Videos 1997. New York: Dell Publishing. p. 1277. ISBN 0-440-22275-3. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
^ "Wicked Stepmother Review". TV Guide. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
^ "The Stinkers 1989 Ballot". Stinkers Bad Movie Awards. Archived from the original on January 16, 2000. Retrieved November 5, 2023.

External links

[Easton-1] Easton, Nina J. (January 3, 1989). "Bette Davis Smoking Over 'Stepmother'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 15, 2018.

[2] Cohen, Larry (July–August 2012). "I Killed Bette Davis". Film Comment. Vol. 48, no. 4. pp. 36–43. JSTOR 43459330. Retrieved November 3, 2016.

[3] "Box office takings in North America, 1988-1999" (XLS). Economics Network. Retrieved November 6, 2023.

[4] Dr. Cyclops (July 1990). "Wicked Stepmother (MGM/UA)". The Video Eye of Dr. Cyclops. Fangoria. No. 94. p. 30. Retrieved November 12, 2023.

[5] "Wicked Stepmother". VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever. Detroit, Michigan: Visible Ink Press. 1991. p. 672. ISBN 0-8103-9404-9. Retrieved November 6, 2023.

[6] "Wicked Stepmother". VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever. Detroit, Michigan: Visible Ink Press. 1993. p. 771. ISBN 0-8103-9425-1. Retrieved November 6, 2023.

[7] Castell, Ron, ed. (1996). "Wicked Stepmother". Blockbuster Entertainment Guide to Movies and Videos 1997. New York: Dell Publishing. p. 1277. ISBN 0-440-22275-3. Retrieved November 6, 2023.

[8] "Wicked Stepmother Review". TV Guide. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2023.

[9] "The Stinkers 1989 Ballot". Stinkers Bad Movie Awards. Archived from the original on January 16, 2000. Retrieved November 5, 2023.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|1989 American black comedy film by Larry Cohen}}
-{{About|the 1989 comedy film|the fairy tale archetype|Stepfamily#Fairy_tales|Disney's [[Cinderella (Disney character)|Cinderella]]'s stepmother|Lady Tremaine}}
+{{About|the 1989 film|the Disney character|Lady Tremaine}}
-{{Infobox film|
+{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
-| name = Wicked Stepmother
+{{Infobox film
-| image = Wickedstepmother.jpg
+| name           = Wicked Stepmother
-| caption = Theatrical release poster
+| image          = Wickedstepmother.jpg
-| director = [[Larry Cohen]]
+| caption        = Theatrical release poster
-| writer = Larry Cohen
-| music = [[Robert Folk]]
+| director       = [[Larry Cohen]]
+| writer         = Larry Cohen
+| producer       = Robert Littman
+| starring       = [[Bette Davis]]<br />[[Barbara Carrera]]
 | cinematography = [[Bryan England]]
-| editing = [[David Kern (editor)|David Kern]]
+| editing        = [[David Kern (editor)|David Kern]]
+| music          = [[Robert Folk]]
-| starring = [[Bette Davis]]<br>[[Barbara Carrera]]
+| studio         = [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
-| producer = Robert Littman
-| distributor = [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
+| distributor    = Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
-| released = February 3, 1989 (US)
+| released       = {{Film date|1989|02|03|U.S.}}
-| runtime = 93 minutes
+| runtime        = 93 minutes
+| country        = United States
-| language = English
+| language       = English
-| budget = $2,500,000 (estimated)
-| gross = $43,749 (US)
+| budget         = $5 million
+| gross          = $70,580 (North America)
 }}
-'''''Wicked Stepmother''''' is a 1989 American [[comedy film]] written, produced, and directed by [[Larry Cohen]] and starring [[Bette Davis]] and [[Barbara Carrera]].
+'''''Wicked Stepmother''''' is a 1989 American [[black comedy]] [[fantasy]] film written, produced, and directed by [[Larry Cohen]] and starring [[Bette Davis]] and [[Barbara Carrera]].
+It is best known for being the last film of Bette Davis, who withdrew from the project after filming began, citing major problems with the script, Cohen's direction, and the way she was being photographed.<ref name="Easton">{{cite news|last=Easton|first=Nina J.|author-link=Nina Easton|date=1989-01-03|title=Bette Davis Smoking Over 'Stepmother'|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-03-ca-118-story.html|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=2018-02-15}}</ref> Cohen later claimed she really dropped out due to ill health but avoided publicizing the truth for fear it would affect potential future employment.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Cohen|first=Larry|author-link=Larry Cohen|date=July–August 2012|title=I Killed Bette Davis|url=http://www.filmcomment.com/article/i-killed-bette-davis/|magazine=[[Film Comment]]|volume=48|issue=4|pages=36–43|jstor=43459330|access-date=November 3, 2016}}</ref> Davis disputed this claim.<ref name="Easton" />
-==Synopsis==
-The original plot cast Davis as the title character, a chain-smoking [[witch]] named Miranda, who has married Sam while his [[vegetarian]] daughter Jenny and son-in-law Steve are on vacation. They return to find their new [[stepfamily|stepmother]] has filled their refrigerator with meat and played havoc with their collection of [[herb]]s. To explain Davis' absence, the script was rewritten to introduce Miranda's daughter Priscilla, a witch who inhabited the Miranda's cat. Priscilla takes on a human form while Miranda's spirit inhabits the body of the cat. Priscilla then sets out to defeat Jenny who has figured out that there is something going on. She accuses her of messing up the kitchen while Jenny's on a bike ride. Priscilla ends up sleeping with Jenny's husband. The entire time she refuses to switch bodies with Miranda. Jenny then figures out that they're witches and tries to stop them from ruining her family.
-==Principal cast==
+==Synopsis ==
+The original plot cast Davis as the title character, a chain-smoking witch named Miranda, who has married Sam while his [[vegetarian]] daughter Jenny and son-in-law Steve are on vacation. They return to find their new [[stepfamily|stepmother]] has filled their refrigerator with meat and played havoc with their collection of [[herb]]s. To explain Davis' absence, the script was rewritten to introduce Miranda's daughter Priscilla, a witch who inhabited Miranda's cat. They both share one existence in human form and while one is human the other must live in the form of a cat the rest of the time. Priscilla takes on a human form while Miranda's spirit inhabits the body of the cat. Priscilla then sets out to defeat Jenny who has figured out that there is something going on. Priscilla uses [[witchcraft]] and deception to convince everyone Jenny is wrong. The entire time she refuses to switch bodies with Miranda. Jenny then figures out that they are witches and tries to stop them from ruining her family.
+The film ends with a hint at a possible sequel.
+==Cast==
 *[[Bette Davis]] as Miranda Pierpoint
 *[[Barbara Carrera]] as Priscilla Pierpoint
@@ Line 36: / Line 44: @@
 *[[Seymour Cassel]] as Feldshine
+[[Joan Crawford]] appears in a still photograph as the deceased wife of Sam and mother of Jenny. The estranged relationship between Jenny and her late mother is a reference to the exposé memoir ''[[Mommie Dearest]]'', written by Crawford's adopted daughter, [[Christina Crawford]]. Crawford was also known for her feud with Davis during the filming of ''[[What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)|What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?]]'' (1962).
-==Principal production credits==
-*[[Film score|Original Music]] as Robert Folk
-*[[Cinematography]] as Bryan England
-*[[Art director|Art Direction]] as Gene Abel
-*[[Costume Design]] as [[Julie Weiss]]
+==Reception==
-==Critical reception==
+===Box office===
-''[[TV Guide]]'' calls the film "a good-natured, occasionally hilarious spookshow, graced with a few ingenious special effects and sassily acted - with Davis giving a gleefully nasty, if abbreviated, last film performance.<ref>[http://www.tvguide.com/movies/wicked-stepmother/127671 ''TV Guide'' review]</ref>
+''Wicked Stepmother'' was released in the United States on February 3, 1989, and became a [[box-office bomb]], grossing $43,749 in its opening weekend and $70,580 in North America on a budget of $5 million.<ref>{{cite web|title=Box office takings in North America, 1988-1999|url=https://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/showcase/Bo88-99nominal.xls|format=XLS|website=[[Economics Network]]|access-date=November 6, 2023}}</ref>
+===Critical response===
-''Wicked Stepmother'' is best known for being the last film of [[Bette Davis]], who withdrew from the project after filming began, citing major problems with the script, Cohen's direction, and the way she was being photographed.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1989-01-03/entertainment/ca-118_1_bette-davis|title=Bette Davis Smoking Over 'Stepmother'|last=EASTON|first=NINA J.|date=1989-01-03|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2018-02-15|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> Cohen later claimed she really dropped out due to ill health but avoided publicizing the truth for fear it would affect potential future employment.<ref>[http://www.filmcomment.com/article/i-killed-bette-davis/ Cohen, Larry (2012). "I Killed Bette Davis"]. ''Filmcomment.com''. Retrieved 3 November 2016.</ref> Davis disputed this claim, stating that she was able to return to work but chose not to because of problems with Cohen, the script, and the way she was shot.<ref name=":0" />
+A review in ''[[Fangoria]]'' lambasted ''Wicked Stepmother'', stating that "this mind-boggingly awful comedy/fantasy offers no laughs, but does provide some of the creepiest moments of half-dead acting ever committed to film" and "emerges as the first unmitigated disaster from the usually reliable Cohen and a tarnish on the memory of Bette Davis".<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Dr. Cyclops|date=July 1990|title=Wicked Stepmother (MGM/UA)|department=The Video Eye of Dr. Cyclops|url=https://www.fangoria.com/archives/fangoria-94-theexorcistIII-nakedlunch/|magazine=[[Fangoria]]|issue=94|page=30|access-date=November 12, 2023}}</ref> ''VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever'' gave the film one and a half bone out of four in its 1991 edition,<ref>{{cite book|year=1991|chapter=Wicked Stepmother|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/videohoundsgolde0000unse/page/672/mode/2up|chapter-url-access=registration|title=VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever|location=Detroit, Michigan|publisher=Visible Ink Press|page=672|isbn=0-8103-9404-9|access-date=November 6, 2023}}</ref> but revised it to one later on, concluding that "Davis's move was wise; the result is dismal, and would have been had she stayed".<ref>{{cite book|year=1993|chapter=Wicked Stepmother|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/videohoundsgolde00visi/page/771/mode/2up|chapter-url-access=registration|title=VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever|location=Detroit, Michigan|publisher=Visible Ink Press|page=771|isbn=0-8103-9425-1|access-date=November 6, 2023}}</ref> [[Blockbuster (retailer)|Blockbuster Entertainment]]'s ''Guide to Movies and Videos'' labeled ''Wicked Stepmother'' a "horror cheapie" and rated it one out of five [[star (classification)|stars]].<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Castell|editor-first=Ron|year=1996|chapter=Wicked Stepmother|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/blockbusterenter00cast/page/1277/mode/2up|chapter-url-access=registration|title=Blockbuster Entertainment Guide to Movies and Videos 1997|location=New York|publisher=Dell Publishing|page=1277|isbn=0-440-22275-3|access-date=November 6, 2023}}</ref> In contrast, ''[[TV Guide (magazine)|TV Guide]]'' calls the film "a good-natured, occasionally hilarious spookshow, graced with a few ingenious special effects and sassily acted—with Davis giving a gleefully nasty, if abbreviated, last film performance".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Wicked Stepmother Review|url=http://movies.tvguide.com/wicked-stepmother/review/127671|magazine=[[TV Guide (magazine)|TV Guide]]|access-date=November 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806145415/http://movies.tvguide.com/wicked-stepmother/review/127671|archive-date=August 6, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
+=== Accolades ===
+{| class="wikitable"
+|+
+!Year
+!Award
+!Category
+!Recipient
+!Result
+!{{Abbr|Ref.|References}}
+|-
+| 1990
+| [[1989 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards|12th Stinkers Bad Movie Awards]]
+| Worst Picture
+| ''Wicked Stepmother''
+| {{Nom}}
+| <ref>{{cite web|title=The Stinkers 1989 Ballot|url=http://thestinkers.com/1989.html|publisher=[[Stinkers Bad Movie Awards]]|access-date=November 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000116034053/http://thestinkers.com/1989.html|archive-date=January 16, 2000|url-status=dead}}</ref>
+|}
 ==See also==
@@ Line 55: / Line 79: @@
 ==External links==
 *{{IMDb title|0098649}}
-*{{rotten-tomatoes|wicked_stepmother}}
+*{{Rotten Tomatoes|wicked_stepmother}}
-*{{Mojo title|wickedstepmother}}
-*[http://www.filmcomment.com/article/i-killed-bette-davis/ I Killed Bette Davis]
 {{Larry Cohen}}
 [[Category:1989 films]]
-[[Category:American films]]
+[[Category:1989 black comedy films]]
-[[Category:1980s comedy films]]
+[[Category:1980s American films]]
+[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
+[[Category:American black comedy films]]
 [[Category:Films about witchcraft]]
-[[Category:English-language films]]
-[[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films]]
 [[Category:Films directed by Larry Cohen]]
 [[Category:Films scored by Robert Folk]]
+[[Category:Films with screenplays by Larry Cohen]]
+[[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films]]
+[[Category:English-language black comedy films]]