Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Blistering performances.

Don't know what I can say about this one… other than it's a complete utter mess that's hard to make sense of this oddity. It's like the curiosity of a car crash, as you simply can't take your eyes of the damage. Cult Director / writer Larry Cohen's "Wicked Stepmother" does look well produced (a budget over 2 million) until we get to some really cheap, kitschy special effects (fluoro lighting) that flooded the back-end of the feature. Technically its sound, up to that point. But this production while heavy-handed and campy, really had trouble with a lot going on behind the scenes namely with star billing actress Bette Davis, where she would eventually walk out of the presentation. Her character turned everything upside on the screen and also behind it. This left the filmmakers trying to fill in the gaps by reworking the story (witchcraft, the occult and game shows) and by the end product it truly shows it's made on the spot feel. Many random occurrences, incoherent story threads and bemusing performances. It wasn't as bad as I last remembered it and I remained entertained (always keep a look for movie references), but there's no doubting it's a chaotic shamble. Even if for the wrong reasons at least it was an amusing shamble. There's quite an interesting cast to boot as well; Colleen Camp goes about things in animated fashion, Barbara Carrera manipulative steams it up as Davis' replacement (yep that's right --- also lets not forget the smoking cat), David Rasche, Tom Bosley shows up as an open-minded detective, Richard Moll is diverting as a bumbling private eye and in minor, but key cameo roles are Evelyn Keyes and Seymor Cassel. Cohen regulars Laurene Landon and James Dixon also have small parts. Not particularly humorous (well laugh out loud) and the pacing makes it feel much longer than it actually is. Don't know if would have been much better, still would have been interesting see to how it was originally intended to be, but this silly comic outing remains a disjointed, witless comedy of mayhem and errors

This film is nothing short of a criminal act! Was nobody looking out for poor, frail (almost dead) Bette Davis?? The filmmaker supposedly was trying to offer the legend what she wanted most, To work.. but I say that everyone who was involved with the making of this catastrophe that stood by and allowed an already dead Bette Davis to be shamed like this is GUILTY of a crime! A crime against everything that we classic film lovers and fans of Bette Davis hold dear. I realize that Bette walked off the film, some say because of her failing health, others say Bette (as sick as she was) knew that this steaming pile was beneath her. Whatever the reason I am glad that we can at least say that Bette walked off because this STAIN on her glorious career is as bad as I have ever seen! I almost turned it off after only 15min and then I forced myself to watch until the point that Bette walked off. If someone wants to see a Bette Davis film then I recommend they watch All About Eve or Now Voyager or The Letter... or if you want to see a "farewell" performance then watch The Whales of August which co stars Lillian Gish, Vincent Price, Ann Southern and Harry Carey Jr. In closing I just want to say that I am a film historian and preservationist at heart and I would NEVER think of making my next statement if I didn't feel it was the best solution, that being said I feel that this film should be erased from history.. All it does is tarnish the memory of one of the greatest actresses that ever graced stage or screen. Nothing whatsoever can be gained from viewing this film, if so I would not say that I feel it should be completely deleted. I don't expect everyone to agree with me but I hope that all of you Bette Davis fans that haven't seen this movie yet will PLEASE SKIP this one! Then for all the Bette Davis fans and classic movie lovers/buffs that have seen some or all of this excrement, don't remember Bette this way, she was so wonderful and full of life in All About Eve, remember her that way.If anyone involved in the making of Wicked Stepmother reads this - SHAME ON YOU!I am adding a list of what I consider "must see" films for film lovers so if you don't want to see my list stop here. Thanks!Here are a few of my favorite dvds that I recommend watching- -Citizen Kane - Orson Welles (1941) -Casablanca - MichaelCurtiz(1943) -The Third Man - Carol Reed (1949) -Seven Samurai - Akira Kurosawa(1954) -Touch of Evil - Orson Welles (1958) -Rules of The Game - Jean Renoir (1939) -Singing In The Rain - Stanley Donen (1952) -Vertigo - Alfred Hitchcock (1958) -Charade - Stanley Donen (1963) -Double Indemnity - Billy Wilder (1944) -Gone With The Wind - Victor Flemming/George Cukor (1939) -Lawrence of Arabia - David Lean (1962) -The Godfather - Francis Ford Coppola (1972) -Wizard of Oz - Victor Flemming (1939) -400 Blows - Francois Truffaut (1959) -The Grand Illusion - Jean Renoir (1937) -8 1/2 - Federico Fellini (1963) -The Seventh Seal - Ingmar Bergman (1957) -The Magnificent Ambersons - Orson Welles (1942) -The Red Shoes - Powell & Pressburger (1948) -Treasure of the Sierra Madre - John Houston (1948) -Gaslight - George Cukor (1944) -The Black Narcissus - Powell & Pressburger (1946) -The Maltese Falcon - John Houston (1941) -Now Voyager - Irving Rapper (1942) -Sunset Blvd. - Billy Wilder (1950) -The Big Sleep - Howard Hawks (1946) -All About Eve - Joe Mankiewicz (1950) -North By Northwest - Alfred Hitchcock (1959) -The Trial - Orson Welles (1962) -Laura - Otto Preminger (1944) -The Lost Weekend - Billy Wilder (1945) -The Lady Eve - Preston Sturges (1941) -Night of The Hunter - Charles Laughton (1955) -The Searchers - John Ford (1956) -On The Waterfront - Elia Kazan (1954) -Battleship Potemkin - Sergei Eisenstein (1925) -The General - Buster Keaton (1927) -Breathless - Jean-Luc Godard (1959) -Sweet Smell Of Success - Alexander Mackendrick (1957) -L'Atalante - Jean Vigo (1934) -Metropolis - Fritz Lang (1927) -Out Of The Past - Jacques Tourneur (1947) -The Lady Vanishes - Alfred Hitchcock (1938) -Mr. Arkadin - Orson Welles (1955) -Rear Window - Alfred Hitchcock (1954) -The Killers - Robert Siodmak (1946) -The Lady From Shanghai - Orson Welles (1947) -Ace In The Hole - Billy Wilder (1951) -The Thief of Bagdad - Michael Powell (1940) and if you are trying to discover something that you have never seen. Then do a search of any of the following directors and check out their work.-Orson Welles -Alfred Hitchcock -Powell & Pressburger -Billy Wilder -Ingmar Bergman -John Ford -Carol Reed -John Houston -Federico Fellini -Akira Kurosawa -Stanley Donen -Michael Curtiz -George Cukor -Elia Kazan -Jean Renoir -Frank Capra -Martin Scorsese -Victor Flemming -Jean Vigo -Howard Hawks -Francois Truffaut -Preston Sturges

For starters, I am not familiar with Bete Davis. But I would prefer her to stick with the shootings, because she suited the role she was intended for and acts really good. "Wicked stepmother" is funnier than most of silly comedy/horror, is quite fast and has funny but effective special effects. This bad-review-bombing isn't deserved by this little flick that doesn't even for one minute take itself seriously! But I suppose this is because of Bete Davis fame who finally didn't get on with the production people - which resulted in the silly plot change. I would sure like it most with Bete Davis (Miranda) starring (I also love the cat!), having no Priscilla in it - but then again: it's good as is. B-movie/stupid horror/thriller-comedy fans, sit down and GIVE IT A WATCH because it is worth it. And don't forget the beer!

I cannot believe they even got Bette Davis to do this film. She must not have been thinking clearly, because this ranks at about #5 among my list of the Worst Movies of the 1980's.It's a bigger surprise they actually got her to do this role. She knew that this is way, way, way, WAY below her acting range. She knew it was a TERRIBLE career move. And luckily, as I read she left production. Good for you, Bette! It's a shame this horrible movie was her last film.And now to the film. It was terrible! It was low quality of everything! I'm sure, with a little help on the cat, I could get bimbo bad actors (in exception with Davis) and make the grade F movie in my backyard.Take my advice, don't waste your time.