Excellent, smart action film.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Occasionally a low-budget B-movie style film will break ranks and become a minor hit. This can be said of THE STEPFATHER, a film made in the late #80s craze for horror-at-home style thrillers which bombarded the box office, including amongst their rank fare such as FATAL ATTRACTION. Where THE STEPFATHER succeeds is in a script which prefers subtlety over in-your-face blood and guts shocks, and a story which doesn't spoon-feed the audience and remains tight and complex. Running at just over eighty minutes, every scene is designed to further the plot in some way making for a very satisfying experience, with plot development occurring all the time so it stays interesting.The film also benefits from a career-best turn from the widely unrecognised Terry O'Quinn, who played a number of stereotypical bad-guy roles back around this period but who never got the recognition he deserved perhaps in light of this movie. O'Quinn is magnificent as the friendly, mild-mannered family guy who also happens to be a psychotic killer on occasion and the scenes in which he loses his cool are riveting. It's amazing the abrupt turn O'Quinn makes from being a seemingly peace-loving father one moment to a knife-wielding psychopath the next, very cold and chilling. The supporting cast is also a good one, with the other actors and actresses giving wisely subdued performances in order to make room for O'Quinn. Particularly good are Jill Schoelen as the curious stepdaughter who discovers the truth and Stephen Shellen as the hunter out for revenge. Only Shelley Hack is underused (and barely seen) as the wife who doesn't realise anything.The film isn't gory but then it shouldn't be: another strength of THE STEPFATHER is the realism of it, and lots of splashing blood would have dissolved the atmosphere it builds up. I liked the strong characterisation and the psychology behind O'Quinn's warped persona which is scarily understandable and the tight script which leaves no room for plot holes. THE STEPFATHER is a breath of fresh air in a stale genre, an offbeat and unpredictable movie which grips from beginning to end and focuses on the human mind as a source of horror instead of a silly scaly monster, thus making the terrors "closer to home" as it were.

This movie is the classic old time 80's horror/crime which I have watched several times and still will do. I think it was just as disturbing psychologically as it was for the murder scenes and I have watched horrors since I was about the size of a munchkin. I was not surprised at all they did a remake but nowhere near as good as the original, the acting and direction is all done very well and I think the script belongs to Terry O'Quinn (The Stepfather) who plays an excellent part and love his expressions and scheming looks on his face. If you like this kinda film then maybe Douglas Jacksons' The Paperboy will be right up your street. I give it a praising 7 out of 10. After all " Father knows best" Enjoy!

The Stepfather (1987)*** (out of 4) Troubled teenager Stephanie (Jill Schoelen) is still suffering the side effects of her father's death a year earlier but things don't get any better when her mother (Shelley Hack) marries a new man (Terry O'Quinn). Stephanie thinks there's something wrong with Jerry but she doesn't realize that he's actually a serial killer who gets rid of his "family" after they disappoint him.THE STEPFATHER pretty much came out of nowhere when it was released and became a nice little hit for the studio. There are certainly elements of various movies rolled up here but there's no question that the film works wonders especially with the terrific performances and some intense scenes towards the end. The movie certainly isn't flawless and at times it shows it's B-budget but it's still a nice gem that has plenty going for it.I think the greatest thing is the fact that O'Quinn is simply brilliant in his role. The first time we see him we see the aftermath of his brutal murders and yet the actor is so charming in the part and so charming to his new family that you can't help but like him. O'Quinn is so believable in the part that you easily forget that you're actually watching a cold-blooded monster. Once the character begins to crack, O'Quinn doesn't miss a beat. Schoelen is also extremely good in her role and is quite believable as the teen who just knows something isn't right. Hack, Charles Lanyer and Stephen Shellen are also good in their parts.The film has some nice tension throughout and especially the finale, which packs a nice little punch. As I said, the film certainly isn't flawless as there are some pacing issues that make the film move a bit too slow but this here doesn't take away from all the good stuff. I'd also say some of the sync music score could have been thrown away. Still, THE STEPFATHER contains some terrific performances that makes it worth watching.

Recently widowed Susan thinks she's met the perfect new husband in Jerry Blake. Unfortunately, Jerry has a dark side to him, and only his stepdaughter Stephanie suspects the horrible truth: that "Jerry" is actually a serial killer who married widowed or divorced women with kids, plays the happy stepfather for a little while, before something sets him off, prompting him to murder every single one of them and move on to a new family and town after changing his name and appearance. Can Stephanie convince those around her of Jerry's true nature before it's too late for her and her mother? Or will Jerry's cycle of insanity and murder continue? Much has been said of Terry O'Quinn's powerful performance as Jerry and I have little to add except that I agree he's excellent in the role. His violent mood swings are truly terrifying to behold and yet, when he's calm, he honestly seems like he's trying to be a loving father.