The Stepfather – Review

A quiet suburban house sits in the early morning hours as a young kid bikes by and tosses a paper, unaware of the bloody murder inside the abode he just zoomed by. Inside the house stands a blood covered long haired bearded man, with a crazed look in his eyes (O’Quinn).

He cleans himself, shaving, trimming his hair, putting in contacts, changing into a nice suit, packing a bag and finally leaving, but not before slowly walking by grisly scenes throughout the home. Outside, he whistles ‘Camptown Races’ and strolls away care free. Where is this crazed killer going?

One year later, enter new characters young Stephanie (Schoelen) and her mother Susan (Hack). Susan is married to the charming Jerry, who looks strangely just like our crazy murderer guy from the opening. But this guy is bringing Stephanie a puppy, so he must be okay, right?

The Stepfather is a well-crafted, tension-infused horror flick, bringing terror into the house and as close as family. Terry O’Quinn is fantastic as a psycho, and the movie has a solid enough story for the short runtime. It does have a bit of an 80s feel, but the plot can translate to most any time period, so it still feels contemporary enough.

I did see the 2009 remake before I saw this original version, but I don’t remember it very well other than coming away with a bit of a “meh” feeling. This version is superior, and the anxiety feels a bit more realistic, but I may check out the remake again someday. I have not seen the sequels to this movie The Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy, or The Stepfather 3, so I cannot comment on them, but I would imagine there is diminishing returns as there is with most horror series.