The Stepford Children

The Stepford Children

Year: 1987

Runtime: 96 mins

Language: English

Director: Alan J. Levi

ThrillerTV MovieMysteryScience FictionHorror

Steven and Laura Harding move with their teenage children, David and Mary, to the seemingly tranquil town of Stepford. Steven joins the men’s club, which has already turned wives into obedient robot‑like beings. Now the club is targeting unruly teens, converting them into compliant, homework‑loving, big‑band‑dancing droids. Laura, David and Mary discover the plot and must outwit Steven’s scheme before they too are robotized.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – The Stepford Children (1987)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Stepford Children (1987). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Stepford, Connecticut

Stepford is a quiet New England town famed for its picture-perfect neighborhoods and orderly life. Beneath the veneer, a secret Men's Association transforms wives and children into obedient, robotic doubles. The setting functions as a pressure-cooker for conformity, where appearances mask a chilling control.

🏡 Suburban utopia 🕵️ Secret society

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:03

Main Characters – The Stepford Children (1987)

Meet the key characters of The Stepford Children (1987), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Laura Harding - Barbara Eden

Laura is a practical, modern mother who balances her bar exam ambitions with her family. She grows suspicious of the town's idyllic veneer and refuses to accept the status quo. Her courage drives the unraveling of Stepford's secret and the rescue of her children.

👩 Protagonist 🧠 Intelligent 🛡️ Protective

Steven Harding - Don Murray

Steven is obsessed with appearances and control, pushing a perfect image for his family. He joins the Men's Association and participates in turning wives and children into obedient, robotic doubles. His fixation on conformity makes him a dangerous antagonist.

👨 Husband 🧭 Control-freak 🧠 Calculated

David Harding - Randall Batinkoff

David is athletic and headstrong, often steering toward rebellious impulses like motorcycles. He becomes a focal point for the town's secret and a catalyst for Laura's investigation. He embodies the tension between teen vitality and the pressures of conformity.

🧒 Teen 🏍️ Rebellious 💡 Resourceful

Mary Harding - Tammy Lauren

Mary is free-spirited and music-loving, but is transformed into a docile, facsimile version of herself. Her loss of individuality mirrors the town's broader effort to erase personal identity for the sake of order.

👧 Daughter 🎶 Creative 🧭 Identity-seeker

Lois Gregson - Debbie Barker

Lois is Lois Gregson, a teen who shares in the social circle of David's world. She experiences the town's transformation and the same fate of having her agency curtailed as the secret spreads.

👧 Teen 🏍️ Motorcycle affinity 🧭 Social circle

Sandy Gregson - Sharon Spelman

Sandy is the more carefree mother in the Gregson family, who becomes a mindless double as the town enforces its ideal of perfection. Her change marks the community's success at erasing individuality.

👩 Parent 🧼 Cleanliness obsession 🪄 Transformation

Mr. Moreland - John Hostetter

Mr. Moreland is a member of the Men's Association and embodies the town's authoritarian push toward conformity. He represents the structural force behind the transformation of residents.

👔 Authority 🛡️ Enforcer 🧠 Strategy

Sheriff Weston - Pat Corley

Sheriff Weston is the local law figure who navigates the disturbances surrounding Stepford's secret, reflecting the town's limits on dissent.

👮 Law 🗺️ Local authority

Mr. Jamison - James Coco

Mr. Jamison is a school-related figure whose presence hints at how education and community norms reinforce Stepford's order.

👨‍🏫 Education 🧭 Influence

George Larson - Raye Birk

George Larson is a neighbor within the harding social circle, contributing to the town's outward image of normalcy.

🧑 Neighbor 🗣️ Social circle

Frank Gregson - Ken Swofford

Frank Gregson is Lois's father and a local neighbor who participates in Stepford's social order and power structure.

👨 Neighbor 🛡️ Authority

Kimberly Summer - Judith Baldwin

Kimberly is a school/social figure within Stepford whose presence helps reflect the town's broader social fabric.

👧 Classmate 🗣️ Social presence

Kenny - John Cameron Mitchell

Kenny is a younger member of the Hardings' social world, involved in the town's dynamics and the teens' group activities.

👦 Child 🎵 Music lover

Tom Wilcox - Dick Butkus

Tom Wilcox is an athletic character connected to the town's social life and events.

🧒 Student athlete 🏃

James Staley - James Staley

James Staley is the swimming instructor who appears in school or community scenes, contributing to Stepford's everyday life.

🏊 Instructor 🗺️ Body of water

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:03

Major Themes – The Stepford Children (1987)

Explore the central themes of The Stepford Children (1987), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🎭 Conformity

Stepford's social order enforces appearances over individuality. The town's rituals and the Men's Association push residents to suppress personal quirks in favor of a flawless image. This manufactured perfection creates a fragile peace held together by surveillance and fear. The story uses everyday life—dances, PTA, and neighborhood gatherings—to show how conformity can feel normal while erasing humanity.

👤 Identity & Autonomy

Laura's struggle to maintain her own identity against Steven's obsession with image highlights tensions between personal autonomy and social expectations. The transformation of children into mindless doubles underscores the fragility of selfhood under extreme conformity. Laura's investigation reveals that family loyalty can clash with the need to resist coercive social forces. The narrative asks what happens when parental love collides with a community's push for uniformity.

🤖 Technology & Dehumanization

Robotic substitutes replace living people, reducing them to functional roles. The town's bio-organic process to create 'docile drones' literalizes the theme of technology erasing humanity. The secret hardware and the explosive climax symbolize a break from a machine-driven order. The film uses the Stepford setting to critique how technology can be used to subjugate rather than empower people.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:03

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The Stepford Children Summary

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The Stepford Children Summary

The Stepford Children Timeline

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The Stepford Children Timeline

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