Hungry Wives (1972)
George A. Romero is a name almost everyone associates with the undead, and understandably so. Night of the Living Dead (1968) rewired the horror genre almost overnight, and the films that followed it, including The Crazies and the long-running Dead series (see our reviews of Day of the Dead and Survival of the Dead), cemented his reputation as the godfather of modern zombie cinema. But tucked between those better-known pictures is Hungry Wives (1972), a film that sits awkwardly and rather fascinatingly on the fringes of his catalogue. Released under the alternative title Season of the Witch (a name that arguably suits its tone far better), the film arrived at a particular cultural crossroads: second-wave feminism was reshaping public conversation about women's roles in the home and the workplace, and American suburban life was increasingly being scrutinised, in art, literature, and cinema alike, as a source of quiet suffocation rather than comfort. Romero, never one to miss the social temperature, set his camera squarely in the middle of that conversation.
The film was produced through Latent Image, the small Pittsburgh production company Romero co-founded, and it carries all the hallmarks of low-budget, independent filmmaking of the period: naturalistic lighting, a tight location shoot, and a cast drawn largely from the local theatre scene rather than Hollywood. It is, by any standard measure, a modestly made picture. What it lacks in polish it makes up for in a certain raw, unglamorous honesty that suits the material well. The central role of Joan, the discontented housewife drawn toward a local witches' coven, falls to Jan White, a stage-trained actress who brings a restrained, convincing weariness to the part. Raymond Laine and Ann Muffly round out the principal cast in supporting roles that, while not especially showy, serve the film's grounded domestic register. This is, very deliberately, a world without heroes or monsters in any conventional sense, just ordinary people in ordinary rooms, which is precisely the point Romero seems keen to make.
I’m a massive fan of George A. Romero, and believe it or not, sitting down to watch Hungry Wives (or Season of the Witch, as it’s often known) marked my tenth dive into his filmography.
I’m making it my mission to work through the lot, but this particular 1972 picture is a jarring pivot for anyone expecting the zombie maestro to deliver another gory, flesh-eating spectacle. Instead, Romero swaps the shopping mall for the suburbs, offering up a slow-burn, satirical take on modern gender roles, the stifling reality of the 1970s housewife, and the seductive power of belief.
Honestly, it’s a cracking demonstration of why Romero was always so much more than just a horror director; he was a razor-sharp social commentator. The film operates far more as a psychological thriller than a traditional scare-fest. There is very little actual horror on display here, and absolutely no gore to speak of. Instead, the tension is domestic and existential, focusing on a woman’s quiet unraveling as she seeks empowerment through witchcraft in a world that otherwise renders her entirely invisible. It’s a fascinating premise, handled with a surprising amount of nuance.
However, I must issue a fair warning: the pacing is deliberately, unapologetically slow. If you’re coming to this looking for jump scares or a brisk narrative, you’re going to find it a bit of a challenge. The film takes its sweet time meandering through its protagonist’s suburban malaise, relying on lingering shots and deliberate, methodical editing to build a creeping sense of unease. It demands patience, and I can easily see how that languid rhythm might lose some viewers entirely.
Yet, for those who appreciate Romero’s classic, character-driven style, there is a lot to admire here. It’s a deeply intriguing detour that proves his cinematic eye was just as effective when trained on the quiet desperation of the American home as it was on the apocalypse. It might not be his most accessible work, but it remains a highly watchable, thought-provoking slice of 70s cinema.
Hungry Wives is the kind of film that rewards a certain type of viewer and politely turns away another. As a document of its era, it is genuinely interesting, a polished but unremarkable production elevated by a director with something real to say about gender, power, and the creeping anxieties of domestic life. For anyone already working through Romero's output, it is an essential, if occasionally testing, detour. For newcomers, it is perhaps not the starting point, but it offers a reminder that horror, at its most considered, has always been less about what lurks in the dark and more about what presses down in the light. Sometimes the scariest room in the house is the kitchen.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 1972 | Watched: 2026-07-28
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Hungry Wives (1972) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
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