Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’ Was Inspired by This Classic
Chad Collins
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Bryan Forbes’ The Stepford Wives is so, so much better than its contemporary reputation suggests. Granted, it’s not like anyone is going around saying the 1974 adaptation of Ira Levin’s 1972 novel is bad, per se (the 2004 remake is another story). But in the years since there’s been so much Stepford-lite cinema out there, the efficacy of the original has been muted some. It’s a shame, too, since it remains an enduringly tense, frighteningly raw interrogation of hegemonic power and domestic subservience. And Katharine Ross? Seldom have been better. Luckily, modern horror maestro Jordan Peele has a lot of love for the movie, even drawing inspiration from it for his Oscar-winning feature debut Get Out.
Per Tubi (where you can stream it now):
A modern woman and her family, new to the town of Stepford, start to see that the wives in town are suspiciously perfect and submissive to their men.
Recently, Jordan Peele hasn’t been the only one to cull considerably from Forbes’ cult classic. Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling was basically a Stepford remake, though one with a wider, sci-fi bent. Westworld on HBO is Stepford-like, too, and Philip Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers is no less chilling in its sense of a world being taken over. Of course, Jordan Peele is responsible for the most successful iteration of the formula, interrogating white America and the pernicious undercurrents that flow through it. It’s no wonder Get Out (and Peele) won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
The Stepford Wives isn’t the only movie Jordan Peele was inspired by. Get Out features several homages to Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby. In a cute Easter Egg, both Rose and Roman in the film are named after their Rosemary’s Baby counterparts.
What do you think? Are you a fan of The Stepford Wives? Which of Jordan Peele’s three features is your favorite? Let me know over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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