After two sequels and a remake, "The Stepfather" still holds up to this day as a very cool and creepy thriller. When I first saw it, for me, it was just decent. Then I watched it a second time, and it had gotten so much better. This movie is one of the best sleeper hits of the 80's.
Jerry Blake is the perfect family man. He has a great job in American Eagle realty, has a wonderful new wife, Susan, and a misunderstood daughter, Stephanie. Susan adores Jerry, but Stephanie is extremely awkward and weirded out by him. Right now, Jerry is close to having his perfect vision of "family." Until Stephanie catches wind of the man who cut his family into little pieces in another town. And other people begin to catch on to the fact that Jerry isn't at all what he seems to be. That's when Jerry really begins to snap. And if he can't have the American Dream, then he's going to make sure that he gets it, at all costs.
"The Stepfather" works very well not just as a horror film, but also as a thriller. It is extremely well-written, and the acting is perfection. It could have been a disaster, but it has tons of energy and when it's supposed to be scary, it is.
But the main attraction of the movie is Terry O' Quinn's disturbing performance as Jerry, before he went on to star in the hit TV series "Lost." He makes this character so believable and frightening and weird. When it came to Jerry boasting about having the perfect job, perfect family and the perfect life, he definitely came off as weird. But I never thought that he could actually kill someone. That's what makes O' Quinn so believable: You never suspect him of doing anything wrong. And when he has his first meltdown, in the iconic "basement" scene, you are on the edge of your seat, wondering when this guy is going to completely lose it.
The film was inspired by the real murders of John List, who had killed his family, and left his town in search of another one. He had disappeared for 18 years until he was discovered on "America's Most Wanted." This is a very interesting and original idea for a thriller, and Donald E. Westlake provides a very suspenseful script.
Despite some extremely cheesy music and some unnecessary but inevitable nude scenes, "The Stepfather" is an 80's gem that I enjoy very much. When the remake came out, I had known several people who still remember the original 1987 classic and O' Quinn's chilling portrayal of a madman. If you haven't seen the remake yet, you might want to wait until it comes out on DVD, and give the original "Stepfather" a try. It's worth it!
Jerry Blake: "Wait a minute....Who am I here?"
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