When I watched “The Stepfather” recently, it was my third viewing of the film. As a teenager, I saw it when it came out, 1987, at the Kuhio theater in Honolulu, the same theater where I watched “Rawhead Rex” and “Nightmare on Elm Street Part III.” (Funny, the details that stick in the head.
I also caught it again many years ago on video.
I gotta say, “The Stepfather” still holds up. In many ways, it’s a very timely film.
What’s the plot? Terry O’Quinn (famous for the TV show “Lost”) plays a character who repeatedly moves in with a family that has lost a patriarch. Once ensconced, he struggles to achieve the idealized nuclear family he never had, always fails, and always goes crazy and kills them.
His current attempt puts him head to head with teenage Stephanie, played by Jill Schoelen (recall her from my review of “Cutting Class.”)
Late in the film, we get one of my favorite plot twists. I can’t say more without ruining the surprise.
Fundamentally, the film is a denunciation of the nuclear family and traditional values. I don’t really share this hostility, but there’s no denying there’s a lot of it in the air these days.
I was reminded of another film, “Parents,” directed by Bob Balaban (known for Woody Allen films and the character of Phoebe Buffay’s dad on “FRIENDS.”) Like “The Stepfather,” it was a bromide against the classic family archetype, in particular, the deference children are supposed to give their parents.
I suppose the most successful example of the anti-traditional family formula would be “The Stepford Wives.”
But no film launched its transgressive missiles as bloodily and delightfully as “The Stepfather”
O’Quinn is a joy to watch, delivering one vaguely menacing look after another while muttering incoherently to himself.
On this viewing, I realized the film was written by Donald E. Westlake, who has long since established himself as an author of crime novels.
Two sequels were made. The second was alright, from what I recall. There have been a couple of remakes as well.
Definitely worth your time. I’ll probably watch this again in ten years.
Best line: “You really are a cheerleader for the old, traditional values.”
