The Stepfather (1987)

After murdering his entire family, a man marries a widow with a teenage daughter in another town and prepares to do it all over again.

Director:

Joseph Ruben

Writers:

Carolyn Lefcourt (story), Brian Garfield (story)

Stars:

Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen, Shelley Hack

2 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	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 (Terry O'Quinn) 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 (Shelley Hack), who sees him as the ideal surrogate father for her teenage daughter Stephanie (Jill Schoelen), and he is soon up to his old tricks when she proves to be too much of a troublesome teen to handle.

---

Plot Keywords:

serial killer | murder of family | fake identity | shower | stepfather stepdaughter relationship | 

---

Taglines:

An All-American Family... He'd Kill For It!

---

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Jerry mixes up Stephanie's name to the little girl, he says his daughter's name is "Jill", which is the name of the actress who played Stephanie.

---

Goofs

Stephanie picks up the U2 cassette "Wide Awake In America" and puts it in her player. When she presses play, we hear Pat Benatar's "Run Between The Raindrops".

---

Quotes

Jerry Blake: All we need is a little order around here.

---

Connections

Referenced in Conan: Conan Without Borders: Ghana (2019)

---

Soundtracks

Run Between the Raindrops
(1985)
Performed by Pat Benatar
Music and Lyrics by Myron Grombacher (as M. Grombacher) and Neil Giraldo (as N. Geraldo)
Published by Tyreach Music/Neil Geraldo Music Co./Rare Blue Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Chrysalis Records, Inc.

User Reviews

This film is now labeled a cult classic...

watch it and see why. Terry O'Quinn is excellent as "The Stepfather" - Jerry Blake; the nemesis of his newly acquired daughter, portrayed by Jill Schoelen. Shelley Hack plays the unsuspecting mom, who does not realize what O'Quinn is capable of.

This film came out in 1987, and it is amusing to see the references to family values and security- all quaintly defined in small town suburbia. Jerry Blake (O'Quinn) is the new realtor in town, a perfect neighbor and family man; but something is awry- Dr. Bondurant is killed and strange occurrences crop up.

If you have never seen this film, it is a worthwhile suspense/thriller; there are also some beautiful scenes of the Pacific Northwest- you will enjoy this film for Halloween.

Details

Country:

UK Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 June 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stepfather I

Filming Locations:

Edgemont Village, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$260,587, 25 January 1987

Gross USA:

$2,488,740

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,488,740

Company Credits

Production Co:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1