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The Stepfather (1987 film)

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1987 American psychological horror film
The Stepfather
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoseph Ruben
Screenplay byDonald E. Westlake
Story by
Produced byJay Benson
Starring
CinematographyJohn W. Lindley
Edited byGeorge Bowers
Music byPatrick Moraz
Production
company		ITC Productions
Distributed byNew Century Vista Film Company
Release date
  • January 23, 1987 (1987-01-23) (United States)
Running time89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2.5 million (US)

The Stepfather is a 1987 American psychological horror film directed by Joseph Ruben and starring Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen, and Shelley Hack. O'Quinn stars as an identity-assuming serial killer who marries a widow with a teenage daughter. Having killed his previous family and changed his identity, his murderous tendencies continue after his stepdaughter becomes suspicious of him. The film is loosely based on the life of mass murderer John List, although the plot is more commonly associated with slasher films of the era. The film was written by Donald E. Westlake, from a story by Westlake, Carolyn Lefcourt and Brian Garfield (the latter of Death Wish fame), with an uncredited rewrite by David Loughery.

The film was theatrically released in the United States on January 23, 1987. It grossed $2.5 million at the box office and was well-received by critics. It has since gained a cult following and was followed by two slasher sequels, Stepfather II (1989) and Stepfather III (1992), and a remake, also called The Stepfather, released in 2009.

Plot

Henry Morrison washes off blood in a bathroom, changes his appearance, puts his belongings into a suitcase, and leaves through the front door of his house, nonchalantly passing the butchered remains of his family. Boarding a ferry, he throws the suitcase containing the items from his former life overboard. One year later, Henry—now a real estate agent named Jerry Blake—has married the widow Susan Maine and is living in a suburb of Seattle. Jerry's relationship with Susan's 16-year-old daughter Stephanie is strained. She's suspicious of Jerry's intentions, but Susan and Stephanie's psychiatrist, Dr. Bondurant, urge her to give Jerry a chance.

Meanwhile, Jim Ogilvie, the brother of Jerry's murdered wife, runs an article about his sister's death in the newspaper and attempts to find the man who killed her. While hosting a neighborhood barbecue, Jerry discovers the article and is disturbed by it. He goes into the basement and begins shouting maniacally, unaware that Stephanie is also in the room. Discovering his stepdaughter, Jerry claims he was simply letting off steam and tells her not to worry. Stephanie finds the article about the earlier killings and decides her stepfather might be the murderer. She writes to the newspaper requesting a photo of Henry Morrison, but Jerry intercepts it in the mail and replaces it with a stranger's photo, allaying her suspicions.

Curious about Stephanie's stepfather, who has refused to meet him, Dr. Bondurant makes an appointment with Jerry under an assumed name, saying he wants to buy a house. During their meeting, Bondurant asks too many personal questions and Jerry realizes that Bondurant is not who he says he is. Believing Bondurant is investigating him, Jerry beats him to death, puts him in Bondurant's car, and sets the car on fire. Jerry later informs Stephanie of Bondurant's death, claiming he was in a car accident, and succeeds in bonding with her. However, Jerry's newfound relationship with his stepdaughter is cut short when he catches her kissing her boyfriend Paul. Jerry angrily accuses Paul of attempting to rape Stephanie, driving Paul away. Stephanie also runs off when Susan says Jerry is her father, she denies it, and Susan slaps her. The next day, Jerry quits his job and starts creating a new identity for himself in another town. He begins courting another widow while planning to get rid of Susan and Stephanie.

Having figured out the town where Jerry could be living, Jim begins going door to door in search of his former brother-in-law. After Jim stops by, Susan phones the real estate agency to tell Jerry that someone was looking for him, only to be informed that Jerry quit several days ago. Susan asks Jerry about this, but while explaining himself to Susan, he confuses his identities. Realizing his mistake, Jerry bashes Susan on the head with the phone and pushes her down the basement stairs. Assuming Susan is dead, Jerry sets out to kill Stephanie.

Jim, who has realized that Jerry is the man who killed his sister's family, arrives wielding a revolver, but Jerry stabs him to death before Jim can shoot him. After terrorizing Stephanie, Jerry corners her in the attic, only to fall through the weak floor into the bathroom. Before he can kill Stephanie, Susan appears and shoots Jerry twice, but he is still able to reach his knife. Stephanie wrests it away and stabs him in the chest. He weakly utters "I love you" before tumbling down the stairs. Stephanie later cuts down a birdhouse that she and Susan had helped Jerry install.

Cast

  • Terry O'Quinn as Jerry Blake / Henry Morrison / Bill Hodgkins / The Stepfather
  • Jill Schoelen as Stephanie Maine
  • Shelley Hack as Susan Maine
  • Charles Lanyer as Dr. A. Bondurant
  • Stephen Shellen as Jim Ogilvie
  • Stephen E. Miller as Al Brennan
  • Robyn Stevan as Karen
  • Jeff Schultz as Paul Baker
  • Lindsay Bourne as Art Teacher
  • Anna Hagan as Mrs. Leitner
  • Gillian Barber as Annie Barnes
  • Blu Mankuma as Lieutenant Jack Wall
  • Jackson Davies as Mr. Chesterton
  • Sandra Head as Receptionist
  • Gabrielle Rose as Dorothy Rinehard
  • Richard Sargent as Mr. Anderson
  • Margot Pinvidic as Mrs. Anderson
  • Rochelle Greenwood as Cindy Anderson
  • Don S. Williams as Mr. Stark
  • Don MacKay as Joe
  • Dale Wilson as Frank
  • Gary Hetherington as Herb
  • Andrew Snider as Mr. Grace
  • Marie Stillin as Mrs. Fairfax
  • Paul Batten as Mr. Fairfax
  • Sheila Paterson as Dr. Barbara Faraday

Production

Development

The film was inspired by the crimes of John List. Lefcourt found a newspaper article about how List killed his own family and brought it to Garfield. Westlake collaborated with them to write the story and based his screenplay on that.

Filming and post-production

Filming started on October 16, 1985 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and by July 1986 the film was in post-production searching for a distributor company. Eventually The Stepfather gained a deal with New Century Vista Film Corporation.

Music

Soundtrack

Release

Home media

The film was released on DVD for the first time in North America by Shout! Factory on October 13, 2009. Shout! Factory released the Blu-ray version of the film on June 15, 2010.

Reception

Box office

The Stepfather was initially marketed as a psychological thriller. When audiences did not respond to this as well as New Century would have liked, they marketed it as a slasher film. The film was theatrically released in the United States on January 23, 1987. During its opening weekend, The Stepfather grossed $260,587 in 105 theatres. Ultimately playing in 148 theatres, it earned a total US gross of $2.5 million.

Critical response

The Stepfather has an 89% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes and an average rating of 7/10 out of 35 reviews. Film critic Roger Ebert with the Chicago Sun-Times gave the movie 2.5 stars out of 4 and wrote, "Violence itself seems to sell at the box office, even when it's divorced from any context. Maybe that's what the filmmakers were thinking. What often happens, though, is that in an otherwise flawed film there are a couple of things that are wonderful. The Stepfather has one wonderful element: Terry O'Quinn's performance."

Terry O'Quinn was nominated for both a Saturn and an Independent Spirit Award. O'Quinn came in third place in the voting for the 1987 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor. Director Ruben was honored with the Critics Award at the 1988 Cognac Festival. The film was nominated for the International Fantasy Film Award for Best Film at the 1990 Fantasporto, and included in Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments at spot #70.

Describing it as a cult film, Scott Tobias interprets the film as a critique of Reaganism.

Accolades

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Award Category Nominee Result
Saturn Award Best Actor Terry O'Quinn Nominated
Critics Award Joseph Ruben Won
Edgar Award Best Motion Picture Donald E. Westlake Nominated
International Fantasy Film Award Best Film Joseph Ruben Nominated
Independent Spirit Award Best Male Lead Terry O'Quinn Nominated
National Society of Film Critics Award Best Actor Terry O'Quinn 3rd place
Young Artist Award Best Young Actress in a Horror Motion Picture Jill Schoelen Nominated
Young Artist Award Teenage Favorite Horror/Drama Motion Picture The Stepfather Nominated

Sequels

Main articles: Stepfather II and Stepfather III

The film was followed by the sequel Stepfather II in 1989, which opened to negative reviews. The TV movie Stepfather III was released in 1992, with the title character played by another actor.

Remake

Main article: The Stepfather (2009 film)

A remake titled The Stepfather was released in 2009 to negative reviews.

References

  1. ^ "The Stepfather". American Film Institute. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  2. ^ "The Stepfather". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  3. "The Stepfather (1987)". WorldFilmGeek. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2021. This tale of a man searching for the 'perfect family' is a very well-done psychological horror film that is driven by the star of the film, Terry O'Quinn. The prologue shows him sporting curly hair, a beard, and glasses and of course covered in blood.
  4. Ryan, Desmond (December 3, 1989). "How Profitable Sequels Succeed: They Just Bring 'em Back Alive". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  5. Hollywood Reporter. 12 November 1985.
  6. "The Stepfather (1987)". American Film Institute. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  7. "At last! Original Stepfather coming to DVD". Fangoria. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  8. "The Stepfather (1987)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
  9. Ebert, Roger (1987-03-02). "The Stepfather". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  10. "Joseph Ruben Bio". Tribute. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  11. "Fantasporto: 1990". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  12. "100 Scariest Movie Moments Countdown". Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2008.
  13. Tobias, Scott (15 October 2009). "The New Cult Canon: The Stepfather". AV Club. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  14. "FilmAffinity". FilmAffinity. Retrieved 2024-12-10.

External links

Stepfather
Films
Related
Films directed by Joseph Ruben
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