Review of The Stepfather (1987) by Keenan S — 21 Dec 2013
The Stepfather is indeed a film worthy of its cult classic status. While the plot could use more work, the film is simply owned by the superb performance of Terry O'Quinn. Not since Robert Mitchum as Preacher Harry Powell in The Night Of The Hunter and Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in Psycho has there ever been such a chilling, frightening, and totally believable killer in horror films.
The film does a great job at following how his character's mental state slowly falls apart as his vision of a perfect family cannot be achieved. It's a slow building horror film, but when he comes undone, the film explodes with tension and pure horror in a superb climax.
This is a film in which the enjoyment comes from the build-up and performances, so this is not for someone looking for faster entertainment and scares. It's a damn creepy and effective film that still holds up really well.
It's certainly not perfect, but it's a great horror/thriller with a lot of surprises up its sleeve. If you enjoy slow building horror films, this is one to check out.
This review of The Stepfather (1987) was written by Keenan S on 21 Dec 2013.
The Stepfather has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
