Larry Cohen's directorial debut is an intriguing, psychologically arresting film which plays with the mind unlike any of his other works. While he later concentrated on monsters - and humour - in films such as THE STUFF and Q THE WINGED SERPENT, HOUSEWIFE is a film based on the complex lives and relationships of three main characters - the married couple and the rapist.
The interaction between the three is certainly intriguing and the gradual way in which the wife comes to love the rapist more than her husband is handled in a slow, deliberate manner. That said, there are still a number of horrific things taking place - a surreal, obscene phone call from non other than a policeman, a dead rat in a swimming pool, a car yard full of corpses.
The acting is generally good all round, from the torn husband who is seduced by a young girl, to the housewife, who ranges from scared to aggressive and even murderous. Yaphet Kotto is superb as a gentle rapist. The issue of race is explored (the film cashes in on the blaxploitation era) in a genuinely interesting way. The theme of sexual intrigue runs throughout the film and much is made of it, yet it is not handled in an awkward way. If you're looking for a weird, surreal story where tables are turned and outcomes are genuinely unexpected, then HOUSEWIFE is for you.
The interaction between the three is certainly intriguing and the gradual way in which the wife comes to love the rapist more than her husband is handled in a slow, deliberate manner. That said, there are still a number of horrific things taking place - a surreal, obscene phone call from non other than a policeman, a dead rat in a swimming pool, a car yard full of corpses.
The acting is generally good all round, from the torn husband who is seduced by a young girl, to the housewife, who ranges from scared to aggressive and even murderous. Yaphet Kotto is superb as a gentle rapist. The issue of race is explored (the film cashes in on the blaxploitation era) in a genuinely interesting way. The theme of sexual intrigue runs throughout the film and much is made of it, yet it is not handled in an awkward way. If you're looking for a weird, surreal story where tables are turned and outcomes are genuinely unexpected, then HOUSEWIFE is for you.