Stepfather II (1989) ITC Entertainment/Horror-Thriller RT: 93 minutes Rated R (some bloody violence, brief sexual content, some language) Director: Jeff Burr Screenplay: John Auerbach Music: Jim Manzie Cinematography: Jacek Laskus Release date: December 1, 1989 (Philadelphia, PA) Cast: Terry O’Quinn, Meg Foster, Caroline Williams, Jonathan Brandis, Henry Brown, Mitchell Laurance, Miriam Byrd-Nethery, Leon Martell, Renata Scott, John O’Leary, Glen Adams, Eric Brown. Box Office: $1.5M (US)
Rating: **
I didn’t even know they were making a sequel to the 1987 horror-thriller The Stepfather until the day it opened here in Philadelphia. Stepfather II, directed by Jeff Burr (Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III), played as an “Exclusive Engagement” at a single location in Center City (the AMC Midtown Theater). I knew it would be a one-week wonder like most “Exclusive Engagements”, so I decided to take in a Sunday afternoon matinee. At the time, I had just started making regular trips into the city to see titles that didn’t make it to the suburbs. Not all of them were great, but I was living the dream denied to me throughout my younger years by overprotective parents with an irrational fear of the big, bad city.
A fan of the first movie, I was anxious to see where Stepfather II (also known as Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy) would go with the continuing story of the title character, an anonymous psycho with a predilection for family annihilation (or familicide). Terry O’Quinn (Silver Bullet) returns as the man we knew as Jerry Blake. Having survived the events of the previous movie (including being shot and stabbed), he’s now locked up in a mental institution in Puget Sound. After earning the trust of the new head psychiatrist (Brown, Sky Riders), he kills him and escapes disguised as a guard. It’s a plan he’s been laying out for a while apparently.
Now calling himself Gene Clifford, a deceased publisher whose name he got from a newspaper obituary, he takes up residence in the picturesque suburb of Palm Meadows in L.A. He instantly charms the hell out of Carol Grayland (Foster, They Live), the divorced real estate agent who sets him up in his new digs. As it so happens, she lives right across the street with her teenage son Todd (Brandis, Sidekicks). It isn’t long before he’s playing the part of surrogate husband and dad, keeping company with Carol and building a skateboard ramp for Todd.
He sets himself up as a therapist and proceeds to counsel all the women in the neighborhood including Matty (Williams, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2), the local mail carrier and Carol’s best friend. Naturally, she’s suspicious of Gene; something seems off about him. What tipped her off? Could it be the session notes that mostly consist of the same phrase (“Let a smile be your umbrella.”) written over and over? Funny, he doesn’t look like Jack Torrance. ANYWAY, we all know what happens to those who get in Gene’s way while he’s trying to form the perfect family. It’s the same fate that befalls Carol’s ex (Laurance, Not Necessarily the News) when he shows up looking to reconcile. I think we all know Stepfather II will end in a violent showdown between Gene and his intended victims after they discover what he’s really about.
I found out something very interesting about Stepfather II while reading the Wikipedia entry. It seems as though it isn’t the version intended by Burr. It’s a tale as old as time; it was the victim of studio interference. ITC studio execs Harvey and Bob Weinstein demanded reshoots after a test screening. They felt it needed more gore. Burr refused to acquiesce and they brought in Doug Campbell (Season of Fear) to direct the additional scenes. As you know, I’m all for lots of gore in horror movies. The more, the better I always say. It doesn’t make much of a difference in this case. Stepfather II is missing something much more important than bloodshed.
The first Stepfather played perfectly on our fears of inviting a stranger to join the family unit. Who better to prey on than a vulnerable widow and her troubled teen daughter? In their emotional states, they don’t know who they’re letting in or see the potential danger suggested by his increasingly strange behavior. It’s a very real fear that director Joseph Ruben used to great effect. It’s one of the best underrated thrillers of the 80s. Although the makers have something with a divorcee and her angry son (they’re vulnerable too), Stepfather II fails to reach the level of tension achieved by its predecessor. It abandons the reality-rooted horror of the original movie for clichés and campiness. At times, it’s just ridiculous. Take the scene where Gene disposes of a body in an auto junkyard. He cackles as he plays a game of one-man demolition derby. He makes so much damn noise, it’s a wonder the cops don’t show up. Come on, you can’t tell me nobody heard all that racket?
The stupidity on Gene’s part doesn’t stop there. SPOILER ALERT! He makes a colossal blunder when he chooses his new identity. I know it’s 1989 and the Internet wasn’t a thing yet, but did it ever occur to him to try and find a picture of the deceased? One look is all it would to take to tell him to find another identity. There’s NO way he can pass for Gene Clifford, no way at all! Also, is he even the slightest bit concerned that somebody might look into his credentials as a therapist? They’d quickly find out there’s no record of him with the licensing board. Did the makers really think nobody would notice such gaping plot holes?
The odd thing is I remember liking Stepfather II when I first saw it. While I don’t hate it, I now see how much it pales in comparison to the original. O’Quinn gives a decent performance as the killer, but the rest of the acting is rather unremarkable. I don’t blame the actors though; they didn’t have a lot to work with to start. The characters are weak and underwritten. It’s a shame because it wastes a perfectly decent cast. The late Brandis suffers the most; he’s absent for most of it. You’d think the son would play a bigger role.
At times laughable and others dull, Stepfather II comes off as lazy as any cheap horror sequel initially intended for DTV release. It isn’t terrible, but it isn’t effective either. It has a few good scenes, but they’re far and few in between.
