The Stepfather (1987) New Century Vista/Suspense-Thriller RT: 89 minutes Rated R (language, violence, nudity, adult situations) Director: Joseph Ruben Screenplay: Donald E. Westlake Music: Patrick Moraz Cinematography: John W. Lindley Release date: September 1987 (Philadelphia, PA) Cast: Terry O’Quinn, Jill Schoelen, Shelley Hack, Charles Lanyer, Stephen Shellen, Stephen E. Miller, Robyn Stevan, Jeff Schultz, Lindsay Bourne, Anna Hagan, Gillian Barber, Blu Mankuma. Box Office: $2.4M (US)
Rating: ****
Shall we dispense with the obvious? The 2009 remake of The Stepfather is CRAP! The original 1987 thriller is the definitive version. It didn’t need to be redone. ‘Nuff said?
Directed by Joseph Ruben (Sleeping with the Enemy), The Stepfather is an effective little thriller that affirms the deepest fear of stepparents being evil monsters. This is NOT a plot spoiler. We learn this fact from the movie’s disquieting opening moments when we first meet “him” (O’Quinn, Lost). “Him” is going by Henry Morrison and we watch as he washes blood off of himself, shaves off his beard, puts in colored contact lenses and packs a suitcase. He picks up a few toys and passes by the living room, which looks more like a slaughterhouse, on his way out the door. He picks up the newspaper from the front lawn and strolls down the street whistling “Camptown Ladies”. He looks like any regular guy on his way to work except he’s not ordinary or on his way to work. He’s on his way to the brand new life he’s already arranged for himself.
One year later, Jerry Blake (as he now calls himself) is newly married to Susan (Hack, Charlie’s Angels) and stepfather to her teenage daughter Stephanie (Schoelen, Popcorn). She doesn’t like him so she constantly acts out at school getting into fights and such. She sees a psychiatrist Dr. Bondurant (Lanyer, Die Hard 2) about her problems; he suggests she give Jerry a chance. For his part, Jerry is trying to build a “perfect family” and can’t get Stephanie on board. He even tries buying her a puppy, but to no avail.
Meanwhile, Jim Ogilvie (Shellen, Casual Sex?), the brother of Jerry’s previous victim, convinces a local reporter to run another story about his sister’s murder in hopes police will reopen the case and catch the killer. The article is brought to Jerry’s attention at a backyard barbeque he’s throwing for friends/clients (he’s a real estate agent). It agitates him so much that he excuses himself and retreats to his basement workshop where he has a psychotic meltdown. Stephanie witnesses this episode which he brushes off by saying he was simply letting off some accumulated steam.
A suspicious Stephanie writes to the Seattle newspaper and requests a picture of murder suspect Henry Morrison. Bondurant tries to set up a meeting with Jerry to talk to him about his relationship with Stephanie, but Jerry keeps avoiding him. Jim manages to find out where Henry/Jim is now living and attempts to hunt him down. Eventually, things start to fall apart. Once again, his attempt at creating a “perfect family” has failed. He decides it’s time to move on and start over with a new family. This means he plans to kill Susan and Stephanie once he gets himself established in another town.
Why does Jerry do this? It has something to do with his own upbringing. He was obviously abused in some way and driven to insanity. It all leads up to the crucial moment when Susan finally realizes that something is terribly wrong with her husband. He refers to himself by another name during a conversation then asks “Who am I here?”
Initially, Ruben didn’t want to direct The Stepfather. He wasn’t interested in making a mad slasher flick. The Stepfather is the farthest thing from it. The titular character is a methodical serial killer with a reason for killing his families. He bears no resemblance to the likes of Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers. His mask is one of feigned normalcy. He’s what you call a “chameleon killer”. He can blend in to any type of surroundings. He’s also a master of disguise who can effectively change his appearance when the time comes to move on to another family in need of a strong male figure. He’s obsessed with creating the perfect family, the kind that exists only in Leave It to Beaver reruns. This is why he sells houses for a living. He wants to provide good houses for good families. In his mind, there’s nothing as important as family. As for Jerry’s true identity, we never find out who he really is or where he comes from. That’s the scariest thing of all.
O’Quinn is positively chilling as “Jerry Blake” (it’s easier to just call him that). Beneath his milquetoast facade lies a truly disturbed individual. He manages to work his way into the lives of a widowed mother and teenage daughter by acting the part of the perfect husband and father. He sees their vulnerability and uses it to his advantage. This is one twisted dude! Schoelen is very good as Stephanie, the only one who can see the threat Jerry poses to her and her mother. The Stepfather is definitely one of Schoelen’s best roles. Stephanie, alternately tough and vulnerable, is a girl who misses her father and doesn’t want this stranger assuming his role. Hack gives the second best performance of her career, the first being The King of Comedy opposite Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis.
Obviously, the idea behind The Stepfather is the frightening notion of not really knowing the person who lives in your house and sleeps next to you in your bed. Susan, by inviting a stranger to move in and take over, inadvertently exposes herself and her daughter to a very disturbed, very dangerous individual. It’s not exactly an original concept, but Ruben makes it work. It benefits from a solid screenplay by best-selling author Donald E. Westlake. Taut and tight, there’s plenty of suspense as the audience waits for that one thing that will trigger Jerry.
The Stepfather is one of the best underappreciated films of the 80s. It definitely deserves more credit than it got when it was released in only 148 theaters around the country in fall ’87. Over the years, it’s become a minor cult classic and deservedly so. It’s a good movie! It has enough thrills and violence to keep the teens interested, great performances and a truly scary killer who could feasibly exist in real life. What’s not to like? It’s fairly predictable in that it we pretty much know where the story is going, but the same could be said about any number of thrillers. The Stepfather is a well-made movie that tells a compelling story. I wish all thrillers could say the same.
