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Title: The Stepfather (1987)
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2 wins & 8 nominations.
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Edit
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 | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (257) »
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. Written by alfiehitchie
Plot Keywords:
serial killer | murder of family | fake identity | shower | stepfather stepdaughter relationship |Taglines:
An All-American Family... He'd Kill For It! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
5 June 1987 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Stepfather I See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$260,587, 25 January 1987Gross USA:
$2,488,740Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$2,488,740Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Ultra StereoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
(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.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Screenwriter Donald E. Westlake based the character of Stephanie on his real-life teenage stepdaughter, with whom who he has having difficulty getting along. See more »Goofs
When Jerry Blake gets the mail out of the letterbox, he finds a yellow envelope for Stephanie, he notices that it came from the Seattle Examiner. Looking worried, he opens the envelope to see his own photo in it. He starts to panic. Then Stephanie arrives home, and asks for her mail. He gives her a copy of Cosmopolitan, and goes inside the house. Later, he goes to a photo shop, and replaces his own photo with another man in a family photo. The man is smiling in the photo Jerry is about to put back in the yellow envelope. In a later scene, Stephanie and her friend Karen are in her room, with the photo of the family man photo Jerry replaced. The man in the photo is not smiling, as he was in the first photo we see of him. See more »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.
See more »
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Terry O'Quinn is excellent here. He has a definite menacing presence, and his subdued behavior around people only heightens the shock of his raging outbursts. However, the mediocre script ruins what could have been a great film. As a character study of O'Quinn, this would have been chilling and effective. But it makes for a mediocre thriller. O'Quinn plays a psychotic man obsessed with perfection, and the ideal "American Dream". Inevitably, his family disappoints him, so he creates a new identity, kills them and moves on. The scenes with Jerry are strong and frightening, but the film becomes formulaic when we're introduced to Jim, who amazingly discovers a vital clue to his whereabouts in a few minutes of poking around. The police missed this? Too many dumb plot points and the predictable finale spoil it. O'Quinn's performance deserved a better film.