Review of The Stepfather (1987) by Allan C — 13 Jul 2018

Quite good low-budget thriller from underrated director Joseph Ruben ("Dreamscape" and "True Believer") and master mystery writer Donald E. Westlake (best known for is Parker novels and screen adaptation of "The Grifters").

Terry O'Quinn plays a disturbed man who wants the perfect all-American family, white picket fence and all the trappings, but when they don't meet his exacting standards, it results in a wholesale slaughter and him assuming a new identity to start trying things over again with a new family.

That's where the film starts, with Quinn cleaning himself up and changing his appearance after slaughtering his current family. We next see him with a new wife, Shelley Hack, and new stepdaughter, Jill Schoelen, who begins to suspect something is not right with her new stepdad.

There's a clever bit of cat and mouse between the two as O'Quinn begins to realize that his stepdaughter may be putting the pieces together of who he really is, which leads to a bloody and pretty wild climax.

"The Stepfather" is a suspenseful and original take on the traditional slasher or serial killer story, and is greatly elevated by a strong performance from O'Quinn, who viewers will likely best know as John Locke from "Lost.

" Despite it's modest budget, "The Stepfather" is an above average horror films thanks to O'Quinn's excellent performance, Ruben's suspenseful direction, and a solid script by Westlake.