Synopsis
A seemingly mild mannered man -- who has just murdered his entire family -- quickly adopts a new identity and leaves town. After building a new relationship with a widow and her teenage daughter, he struggles to hide his true identity and maintain a grip on reality.
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Cast
- Terry O'QuinnJerry Blake
- Jill SchoelenStephanie Maine
- Shelley HackSusan
- Charles LanyerDr. Bondurant
- Stephen ShellenJim Ogilvie
- Stephen E. MillerAl Brennan
- Robyn StevanKaren
- Jeff SchultzPaul Baker
- Lindsay BourneArt Teacher
- Anna HaganMrs. Leitner
Recommendations
- 100
Chicago Tribune
The Stepfather is a nearly perfect work of popular entertainment. A thriller about a psychopathic killer, it is absolutely terrifying. At the same time it is a highly personal work, the expression of a gifted individual. [27 Feb 1987, p.A] - 80
Washington Post
It's a terrific, disquietingly entertaining little film -- a piece of genuine Gothic Americana. - 75
Chicago Reader
This 1987 film doesn't quite leave its slasher antecedents behind, but the styling is never less than assured, and Ruben knows how to put bland, unruffled surfaces to sinister Hitchcockian uses. - 75
ReelViews
The Stepfather doesn’t hold up quite as well as it did during the late 1980s (some of the film’s technical aspects are dated) but it still generates tension and suspense and O’Quinn’s performance has lost none of its power. - 75
TV Guide Magazine
Fueled by an intense and intricate performance by O'Quinn, the movie is a fascinating examination of America's predilection for appearances over substance. - 75
The A.V. Club
Appreciating what’s special about The Stepfather involves accepting—or at least tolerating—some clunky moments. - 70
Variety
The Stepfather is an engrossing suspense thriller that refreshingly doesn't cheat the audience in terms of valid clues and plot twists. - 63
Chicago Sun-Times
The Stepfather has one wonderful element: Terry O'Quinn's performance.
