Stepfather II (1989)

After escaping the insane asylum in which he was incarcerated, Jerry Blake (Terry O'Quinn) impersonates a marriage counselor and manages to win over a patient (Meg Foster) and her young son (Jonathan Brandis).

Director:

Jeff Burr

Writers:

Carolyn Lefcourt (characters), Brian Garfield (characters)

Stars:

Terry O'Quinn, Meg Foster, Caroline Williams

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Terry O'Quinn	...	Jerry Blake / Gene Clifford / The Stepfather
Meg Foster	...	Carol Grayland
Caroline Williams	...	Matty Crimmins
Jonathan Brandis	...	Todd Grayland
Henry Brown	...	Dr. Joseph Danvers
Mitchell Laurance	...	Phil Grayland
Miriam Byrd-Nethery	...	Sally Jenkins
Leon Martell	...	Walt 'Smitty' Smith
Renata Scott	...	Betty Willis
John O'Leary	...	Sam Watkins
Glen Adams	...	Salesman
Eric Brown	...	Hotel Attendant

Storyline

Jerry Blake (Terry O'Quinn) escapes an insane asylum and winds up in another town, this time impersonating a marriage counselor. Now he seems to have found the perfect future wife (Meg Foster), with a stepson (Jonathan Brandis) who loves him. However, other people try to get in his way to marry her. They are interfering. One by one, Jerry eliminates anyone who stands in his way to a perfect family.

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Plot Keywords:

tablesaw | looking at oneself in a mirror | man punches a woman | slasher | sexploitation | 

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Taglines:

There's something you should know about my past...

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Terry O'Quinn ad-libbed some of his dialogue.

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Goofs

When The Stepfather is arranging a victim's house and body to look like a suicide, the victim's dead body, hanging from a noose, blinks.

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Quotes

Gene Clifford: Haven't I been like a father to that boy? I even had sex with you for Chrissake!

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Connections

Referenced in Press Gang: She's Got It Taped (1992)

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Soundtracks

Camptown Races
(uncredited)
Composed by Stephen Foster (uncredited)
Performed by Terry O'Quinn (uncredited) and Jonathan Brandis (uncredited)

User Reviews

Better Than Usual Sequel

The Stepfather was a surprisingly classy thriller stuck at the end of the 80's slasher glut. Thanks to a smart script and a phenomenal performance from Terry O'Quinn, The Stepfather ended up becoming a cult classic.

Even though it seemed as if O'Quinn's Jerry Blake was killed off at the end of the first film, the magic of the movies brings him back for yet another round of slashings in the sake of the American Dream. Jerry's now stuck in a mental hospital. He, of course, escapes and forms a new identity - this time, a psychiatrist(named Gene) specializing in suburban women, which gives him a nice group of gals to choose from for his next dream wife.

Unfortunately for Carol (the beautiful Meg Foster), Jerry fixates on her and her son (Jonathan Brandis) and wants them to become his new family. Jerry's soon up to his own tricks, dispatching of anyone that gets in his way.

This is a movie that doesn't need to exist, so it's to director Jeff Burr's credit that he's able to make it seem as if this movie has a right for being here. Bringing Terry O'Quinn back is a huge plus and he's pitch perfect here. Joining him are genre faves Meg Foster and Caroline Williams who are equally game and ground a rather ridiculous story in reality. There's a nice dose of playful, dark humor throughout and the murder set pieces will please gore fiends without turning off those in the mood for more traditional thriller stylings.

Stepfather II might not reinvent the genre, but it's a worthy and fun sequel.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 November 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stepfather 2: Make Room for Daddy

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,519,796

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,519,796

Company Credits

Production Co:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC), Part II Productions, Millimeter Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1