The second sequel to the 1975 sci-fi classic THE STEPFORD WIVES, following on from REVENGE OF THE STEPFORD WIVES; THE STEPFORD HUSBANDS would follow in the 1990s. These three sequels are all television movies of varying quality, but at least they're more interesting than the bland Hollywood remake with Nicole Kidman.
Sadly, THE STEPFORD CHILDREN is a largely uninteresting retread of the first film's plot, except that now the children have been transformed into perfect specimens rather than the wives. It's a bit of an odd choice, making the first hour of this film very slow and laboured, because we already know the story and events from the first film so why drag it out again?
It doesn't help that the characters range from the uninteresting to the downright unlikeable, although some interest builds with the younger cast members as the story progresses. The only part I really liked was the climax, which is actually decent and pretty frightening; we get to see what THE STEPFORD CHILDREN look like underneath and it's a good effect. A shame we had to sit through the rest of the production to get to this bit, though.
Sadly, THE STEPFORD CHILDREN is a largely uninteresting retread of the first film's plot, except that now the children have been transformed into perfect specimens rather than the wives. It's a bit of an odd choice, making the first hour of this film very slow and laboured, because we already know the story and events from the first film so why drag it out again?
It doesn't help that the characters range from the uninteresting to the downright unlikeable, although some interest builds with the younger cast members as the story progresses. The only part I really liked was the climax, which is actually decent and pretty frightening; we get to see what THE STEPFORD CHILDREN look like underneath and it's a good effect. A shame we had to sit through the rest of the production to get to this bit, though.