The Stepfather (1987)

Director:

Joseph Ruben

Writers:

Carolyn Lefcourt (story) &
Brian Garfield (story) ...

Release Date:

23 January 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Who Am I Here?

Plot:

A family-values man named Jerry Blake marries widows and divorcées with children in search of the perfect family...

Plot Keywords:

Widow | Daughter | Search | Dog | Birdhouse

Awards:

2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Terry O'Quinn	...	Jerry Blake
Jill Schoelen	...	Stephanie Maine
Shelley Hack	...	Susan
Charles Lanyer	...	Dr. Bondurant
Stephen Shellen	...	Jim Ogilvie
Stephen E. Miller	...	Al Brennan
Robyn Stevan	...	Karen
Jeff Schultz	...	Paul Baker
Lindsay Bourne	...	Art Teacher
Anna Hagan	...	Mrs. Leitner
Gillian Barber	...	Anne Barnes
Blu Mankuma	...	Lt. Jack Wall
Jackson Davies	...	Mr. Chesterton
Sandra Head	...	Receptionist
Gabrielle Rose	...	Dorothy Rinehard

Also Known As:

Stepfather I

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1988) (VHS) | Australia:M | Denmark:15 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (1988) | France:-12 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Trivia:

Loosely based on the story of John List. He is the New Jersey man who killed his family, and disappeared for 16 years, until he was one of the first people profiled on "America's Most Wanted."

Goofs:

Continuity: When the film first opens, we see a paperboy toss the newspaper onto Jerry's lawn. It lands close to the perimeter of the lawn. But when Jerry emerges later and stops to pick up the newspaper, it is closer to the house.

Quotes:

Dr. Bondurant: Sounds like you had a strict upbringing.
Jerry Blake: You might say that.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "King of the Hill: Untitled Blake McCormick Project (#12.12)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Run Between the Raindrops

Terry O'Quinn makes his mark

This is one of the best thrillers to emerge from the 1980's. It's got 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.