Demonic Housewives Possesses a Campy Charm

DemonicHousewives1 There’s something evil in the town of Hobbsville. Something evil enough to tear an entire, god-loving town apart and take sanity with it. In Thomas J. Misuraca’s Demonic Housewives, we are served up delicious madcap melodrama in broad strokes with quite a few laugh-out-loud moments and a cast capable enough to keep the show moving.

After the mysterious death of her Aunt Wanda (Lee Quarrie), Darcy (Lara Fisher) arrives with her best friend Rae (Caitlin McCormick) to the quaint town of Hobbsville. Wanda’s house now empty the two begin to clean up and take care of what’s left behind.

At the funeral services, the preacher’s wife Millicent (Redetha Deason) oversees proceedings with a saccharine-sweet demeanor. She and her best friend Peggy (Beth Fisher), may know a lot more than they are letting on about the recent death, along with other strange goings on in the town. As Darcy and Rae continue sifting through the piles of books and mounds of bugs in dearly departed Aunt Wanda’s home, they soon realize that the deceased may have been trying to stop a far greater evil. Sucked into the fray is Kim (Monet Hendricks) as the innocent newcomer to the town.

DemonicHousewives2 Rounding out the cast and offering commentary are a podunk version of a Greek chorus, Bertha (Suzie Heaton) Ethel (Aubrey Manning, and Lucille (Anne Wescot). The three have an effortless camaraderie that plays well through the show. Adding additional music and sound effects are Elif Savas and Jennifer Novak Chun as the Demonic Duo.

To begin, this show is a hell of a lot of fun. The all female ensemble gels perfectly, deftly playing from one laugh to the next. Deason’s Millicent commands the stage whenever she is on, recalling Rose Mcgowan in Jawbreaker. Fisher is equally good as Peggy, playing comic foil and henchman to Millicent spitting out southern fried asides and comments. McCormick’s Rae is also a standout, with her larger than life voice and presence. She is the only other performer that can pull audience attention from the bad guys and she knows it.

DemonicHousewives3 Misuraca’s script is a clever, densely plotted soap opera. The story moves along nicely and never slowing her becoming bland. The story is fun, the laughs are plenty, but the dialogue occasionally feels a bit over written. A few judicious trims in dialogue would help the show immensely. Director Sebastian Muñoz plays to both the script and cast strengths. There isn’t a bad performance in the bunch. Muñoz knew to cast for chemistry as well as character and this raises the show to a higher level.