The Stepfather

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs.

Revisited it recently.

A psychotic serial killer and a master of disguise, Jerry Blake is obsessed with having an ideal family. He changes his identity and job and is always on the lookout for a new widow so that he can start a new family. Whenever any new family members do not comport with his expectations, he spirals into a spell of madness and attempts to brutally murder them. Inspite of being aware that his new stepdaughter doesn't like him, he tries hard to make it look like a complete happy family in front of neighbors. Blake is unaware that his last victim's/wife's brother is on his trail.

The brother of the last victim who is on the trail looks like Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

Terry O'Quinn's acting is the highlight.

The direction n script is also well done.

The film moves at a good pace and it has ample amount of tension, suspense n creepiness. Am i the only one who found the movie a bit darkly comical too.

The scene where Jerry Blake puts one anonymous innocent moustachioed fella's photo in the envelope. I laughed out loud.

Jerry Blake's facial expressions aft seein his own photo in the mail.

The time Blake is caught off guard in the basement venting out some steam.

The way the doctor gives him a fake call as a prospective buyer jus to meet him.

I found all these darkly comical.

Jill Schoelen was 24 at the time, but she's playing a 16 year old in this movie and her nudity was a put off n uncalled for.

This is one of the best thrillers to emerge from the 1980s. It has assured direction from Joseph Reuben. An excellent script by Donald E. Westlake.And an absolutely mesmerizing performance from Terry O'Quinn, who invests his character with enough repressed fury to make most screen psychos look like Mr Rogers.

The film starts out with a real sense of style as O'Quinn washes his bloody hands in a bathroom sink then proceeds to alter his appearance drastically before walking downstairs to his murdered family; its a startling and creepy beginning and the rest of the film is as stylish and well done. I think its biggest strength is the well-developed psychopathology of Terry O'Quinn's character. His behavior actually makes sense in terms of his madness. This is a refreshing change of pace from most films of this type, where the killers have zero motivation and are just plot-devices.

Nice guy (Terry O'Quinn) gets married to lovely wife (Shelley Hack) and her rebellious daughter (Jill Schoelen). He wants his family to be like "The Brady Bunch" or "Father Knows Best". However when his family doesn't live up to his expectations he brutally kills them, changes his identity and moves on to find another unmarried woman with kids. And he's getting tired of Hack and Schoelen...

Exceptional thriller. O'Quinn gives a top-notch performance as the killer. He's helped by a very intricate script. Those two combined make you understand why he kills and plays with your emotions--I found myself actually liking the guy (for a while). There isn't a lot of violence in this, but when it appears it's very sudden, extremely bloody and shocking.

The only liabilities here are Hack and Schoelen--they're pretty bad in their roles. But O'Quinn and the script more than make up for them.

A sadly forgotten thriller from the late 80s. Well worth catching.

watch it and see why. Terry O'Quinn is excellent as "The Stepfather" - Jerry Blake; the nemesis of his newly acquired daughter, portrayed by Jill Schoelen. Shelley Hack plays the unsuspecting mom, who does not realize what O'Quinn is capable of.

This film came out in 1987, and it is amusing to see the references to family values and security- all quaintly defined in small town suburbia. Jerry Blake (O'Quinn) is the new realtor in town, a perfect neighbor and family man; but something is awry- Dr. Bondurant is killed and strange occurrences crop up.

If you have never seen this film, it is a worthwhile suspense/thriller; there are also some beautiful scenes of the Pacific Northwest- you will enjoy this film for Halloween.

THE STEPFATHER begins with an introduction to the title character, Jerry Blake (Terry O'Quinn). Jerry is looking a bit disheveled, in a full beard. He's also covered in blood! Pictures on the walls of his home tell us that he has... well, he had a family. The scene in his living room makes it quite clear that Jerry has put an end to that, and is moving on. This all happens in the first three minutes!

Enter Susan (Shelly Hack), Jerry's new wife, and her daughter Stephanie (Jill Schoelen). While Susan can't believe how fortunate she is to have found such a perfect man as Jerry, Stephanie is having difficulty with the change. She also notices something a bit off about her new "dad". Is Stephanie just being insecure? What could possibly be wrong with a stepfather wanting the perfect family? Wellll, his last family certainly found that out!

Now, as time goes by, Jerry finds problems developing, and his dream might just be coming undone. Alas, his way of coping with such difficulties isn't very healthy. How long will it take for the nightmare to start? Meanwhile, Jim, Jerry's highly suspicious ex-brother in-law attempts to track Jerry down. He's got plans of his own for Jerry.

This is O'Quinn's signature role, and he plays it beautifully. Jerry is a semi-sympathetic role, and made me hope that his new situation would -somehow- work out, for everyone's sake. It is genuinely frightening to watch him mentally unravel, knowing full well what he's capable of doing. Ms. Hack plays the oblivious spouse, overlooking things, hoping it's all in her head. Ms. Schoelen is Jerry's foil, seeing through his false surface, knowing right off the bat that something just isn't right about this guy. When she gets a glimpse of him as he truly is, it confirms her prior fears. The question is, will anyone believe her in time?

This is a horror / suspense / thriller done to perfection. Jerry would be so proud...