Happy Father’s Day! For this special occasion, let’s take a look at the 1987 flick about a murderous dad killing his way through his new family: The Stepfather. Warning: spoilers ahead!
Jerry Blake is a dedicated family man. Little do unsuspecting single moms know, he puts the “die” in “die-hard.” Going from one family to the next, he assumes a new persona and plays the role of doting father and loving husband… until a family member disappoints him. Ruin his idea of a perfect, “Leave It to Beaver” family dynamic? You’re going to be sorry.
Call me impressed! I was not expecting to like this movie as much has I did. Holy crap. I had seen parts of the 2009 remake but had never seen this original. I had always thought The Stepfather was going to be a cheesy 80s movie; instead I got a more-than-decent scare factory that kept me glued to the edge of my seat and literally screaming at characters through the screen.
Starting off strong, The Stepfather brings us into the home of Henry Morrison in total disarray. Morrison takes a shower and slowly changes his appearance, leaving a house full of bloodied and battered bodies — and his identity — behind. He is now Jerry Blake. A year later, “Jerry” has become stepfather to teen Stephanie, who he doesn’t have a good relationship. On the outside, Jerry is a wonderful husband and neighbor. But when the façade starts to slip and Stephanie sees glimpses of Jerry’s true psychotic personality, she must fight for her and her mother’s lives before they end up like many families before them.
The Stepfather managed to give me blood without being over the top. It managed to give me story progression without feeling forced. And it was scary. I don’t know what it’s like having a stepparent (my parents are still married), but I could feel how strange it might be and how scary it could be to have someone you barely know coming into your house. It may be me thinking of all the true crime and family annihilator stories out there in the real world, but that translated perfectly to this movie.
What did I like about The Stepfather? Well, just about everything. When I tell you I was yelling at the screen to warn characters of their impending doom, I really was. I was gripping my blanket watching characters get absolutely demolished during Jerry’s rages — we’re talking phones to the face, stabbings, etc. I was wide-eyed seeing him mutter to himself and throw things. And I thought the instances where Jerry (played by Terry O’Quinn) forgot which persona he was using at that moment were fantastic! It gave a Hitchcock thriller vibe but had that 80s craziness to it.
But The Stepfather is not totally perfect. There is a cop subplot with the previous family’s brother/uncle coming to find Jerry and kill him, but I found that it didn’t amount to much in the end because homeboy went and got himself killed — easily, I might add. Some of the plot points, such as the newspaper article, could have just been explained another way. The score is also a bit off for me; some of the scarier moments had music that sounded awfully like something that would play in a Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark episode. Not completely bad, but I did chuckle at that thought.
The Stepfather was a blast to watch, so much so that I’ll likely be watching again very soon. If you like a good amount of blood, a killer going steadily off his rocker, and a murder mystery/thriller atmosphere, watch this movie!
What did you think of The Stepfather? Let us know in the comments!
The Stepfather is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video (via Screambox).
