“The Stepfather” (1987) – Hey, being a stepparent is hard, but in 86 minutes, director Joseph Ruben explains his view: a stepchild’s world is more difficult…because a kid may have to fend for his or her life. Add an unsuspecting spouse to the list too!
Seventeen years before Terry O’Quinn starred in “Lost” (2004 – 2010), he infamously played Jerry Blake, a husband to Susan (Shelley Hack) and a stepdad to Stephanie (Jill Schoelen). This teenager never warmed up to Jerry – over the course of a year – despite the man dating and then marrying her mom.
Hey, Jerry seems like a model citizen. He has a great job. He’s polite. He cares about the community and his new family.
What’s not to like?
Well, Stephanie doesn’t trust him, and when she witnesses his crazy meltdown in their basement, her suspicions are confirmed!
Jerry’s not just an untrustworthy fella. He’s a maniac, because in the film’s opening sequence, we see the bloody, broken bodies of his massacred family, his previous one.
Oh, yikes!
“The Stepfather” is successful in contrasting Jerry’s spooky behavior during the movie’s first five minutes versus the rest of the picture, when he tries to hone his best Ward Cleaver act.
When will Jerry finally lose it on Susan and Stephanie? It could be any minute, as O’Quinn delivers a convincing performance as a psycho attempting – in vain – to sustain a smiling, do-gooder mask in a story that is tailor-made for “The Burning Bed” (1984) crowd.
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon: 3
Terry O’Quinn stars in “The Stepfather” (1987)
Terry O’Quinn stars in “Ghosts of Mississippi” (1996) with James Woods
James Woods stars in “Casino” (1995) with Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro stars in “Sleepers” (1996) with Kevin Bacon
Directed by: Joseph Ruben
Written by: Donald E. Westlake
Starring: Terry O’Quinn, Jill Schoelen, and Shelley Hack
Runtime: 86 minutes
Rated: R
