The Stepfather (1987)

A family-values man named Jerry Blake marries widows and divorcées with children in search of the perfect family. As soon as his new family members show signs of being human and not robots ... See full summary »

Director:

Joseph Ruben

Writers:

Carolyn Lefcourt (story), Brian Garfield (story),

Stars:

Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen, Shelley Hack

3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Terry O'Quinn	...	Jerry Blake
Jill Schoelen	...	Stephanie
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	...	Annie Barnes
Blu Mankuma	...	Lt. Jack Wall
Jackson Davies	...	Mr. Chesterton
Sandra Head	...	Receptionist
Gabrielle Rose	...	Dorothy Rinehard

Storyline

A family-values man named Jerry Blake marries widows and divorcées with children in search of the perfect family. As soon as his new family members show signs of being human and not robots who will march unquestioningly to his tune, his dreams of domestic bliss begin to crumble, and he kills them. Then he alters his appearance, assumes a new identity, and skips to another town to begin the deadly ritual all over again. He marries Susan Maine, who sees him as the ideal surrogate father for her teenage daughter Stephanie, and he is soon up to his old tricks when she proves to be too much of a troublesome teen to handle.

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Plot Keywords:

search | widow | daughter | blood on hand | cult film | 

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Taglines:

Who Am I Here?

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 November 1987 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Stepfather I

Filming Locations:

Edgemont Village, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Gross:

$2,488,740 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Joseph Ruben originally wanted Jerry Blake to whistle the Barbra Streisand song "The Way We Were," but the rights to the song proved to be too expensive.

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Goofs

When Jerry is trying to beat down the bathroom door to attack Stephanie, the mirror on the inside of the bathroom door breaks as Jerry is beating on the door from the outside. As Jerry finally breaks through the door, the mirror is show again, intact, before shattering a second time.

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Quotes

Jerry Blake: Buckle up for safety!

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Connections

References Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

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Soundtracks

"I Want You"
(1984)
Performed by Patrick Moraz and John McBurnie
Music by Patrick Moraz
Lyrics by John McBurnie
Published by Zoram Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Passport Records (JEM)

User Reviews

I just want this family to be happy

The Stepfather has many memorable scenes. Terry O`Quinn portraits a very sick man, and this madness is made clear from the very start of the movie, when the (step)father has just killed his family and we are introduced to him as he removes his beard and in other ways alters his appearence to allow him to find another family and again become THE STEPFATHER. The most memorable scene for me is when he interrupts his step daughter on the porch kissing her date for the evening good night. The stepfather snaps, because he wants the family to remain static for ever, he is crazy. So then his wife comes down and she yells at the stepfather saying that he has ruined what they had built up. The expression on his face when hearing that is one of sheere terror. The stepfather is so fragile. The basement scene where the step daugther is getting something in the freezer and the stepfather rushes into the basement to let off some steem, not knowing she is there. It is all very scary.