The Stepfather | Rotten Tomatoes

The Stepfather

R

Released Jan 23, 1987

1h 28m

Mystery & Thriller

TRAILER

for The Stepfather: Trailer 1

List

89%

36 Reviews

Tomatometer

65%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Jerry Blake (Terry O'Quinn) is a family man, but he happens to have a series of families, with each one on the receiving end of his murderous ways. When Jerry sets his sights on a lovely widow named Susan (Shelley Hack) and her headstrong daughter, Stephanie (Jill Schoelen), it appears that his brutal pattern of killings will continue. However, Stephanie begins to suspect that there's something wrong with the seemingly well-adjusted Jerry, and a violent confrontation is inevitable.

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Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Rent The Stepfather on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Pauline Kael

New Yorker

The Stepfather is a cunning, shapely thriller -- a beautiful piece of construction. But it could easily be overlooked, because it has a placid surface that resembles B-picture banality.

Sep 13, 2023

Full Review

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

More than 30 years after its release, The Stepfather doesn't hold up quite as well as it did during the late 1980s... but it still generates tension and suspense and O'Quinn's performance has lost none of its power.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 4, 2019

Full Review

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Ruben's surprisingly resonant and durable tale ... cannily reflects, in a larger way, the era of its creation

Rated: B+

Jan 15, 2008

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The movie proves to be an involving thriller, primarily because of O’Quinn’s menacing performance.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 30, 2023

Full Review

Casey Chong

Casey's Movie Mania

The Stepfather contains one of the best opening scenes ever for a psychological horror/slasher movie released in the ’80s era.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 11, 2022

Full Review

Stephanie Archer

Film Inquiry

The Stepfather is not the knock-out it wants to be, but at its core, it is a psychological thriller that shakes our ability to trust and to welcome, leaving us to question the true nature of those around us.

Jun 18, 2022

Full Review

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Audience Member

Over 35 years old I watched it back 15 years ago and really enjoyed it It’s far superior than the dreaded remake Terry O' Quinn gives one of the scariest performances of his career playing a man unhinged obsessed with traditional family values even murdering to uphold them, very creepy split personality bit Jill Schoelen's voice still bothers me though, sounds like she smoked a lot of cigarettes It's cool that this movie gained a cult following even though the box office numbers failed as did the sequels This still got big acclaim from critics A suburban horror thriller that still works with that Norman Rockwell feel colliding with a raging psychopath

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/24

Full Review

Jeff M

This is one of the first horror films I remember seeing in my younger years - I was probably about 14 when I first watched it - and at the time I found it somewhat disturbing. Well, my how the times have changed! Amazingly this received quite favorable reviews - it sits at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes - but it simply doesn't work! It almost plays like a satire, but if that was the intent of the filmmakers, they played it way too safe. I know I pick on Hallmark movies way too much, but this feels like a Hallmark version of a horror movie. The acting is mediocre across the board. It's always nice to see a character actor like O'Quinn get a leading role, but his performance is so over the top it often comes across as comical. Schoelen is wooden in her attempt at portraying the rebellious troubled child, and she's not a protagonist we particularly root for. Hack is lovely but an ironing board would have more presence. There is potential here for a really great thriller, but it's predictable, uninspired, and there is absolutely no tension or suspense. It has no cajones!!!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/17/24

Full Review

Alec B

The script is a decent, though not great, character study/thriller. O'Quinn's utterly captivating and terrifying performance is what elevates the material and is likely the reason for why the movie has lingered in the cultural consciousness.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

Full Review

Jens B

Very entertaining serial killer flick that tries hard not to be a slasher. And I didn't feel that the film was missing kills. I was just curious to see what O'Quinn would do in the next scene. This film is part of: ✨IDIOTIC GERMAN TITLES✨ THE STEPFATHER was released in Germany as KILL, DADDY, KILL!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/18/23

Full Review

Ash P

I've watched this movie once before but that was when I was at work. Now that I've had the time to watch it again for real, it's a fun little suspense film as slasher movies goes. A decent script with pretty good acting especially Terry O'Quinn playing the stepfather while the mother and daughter played well to live in bliss before the truth was let loose. The suspense moments were decent along with the subtle scenes. Hell, the highlight is looking at O'Quinn's character as if he Norman Bates from Psycho. Not much of an impact as 80s horror films goes but still a fun film to pass the time if you're a fan of horror altogether. 7/10.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/04/23

Full Review

Damien T

The movie is a pretty good 80s Psychological Thriller which I recommend for horror fans. Terry O'Quinn's performance was amazing, and Joseph Ruben directed the movie very well. Patrick Moraz's score was pretty good. However, the screenplay was decent for me and It wasn't my favourite that there was only a few killings. I'll give this movie an average 3,5 out of 5 stars, and a "B+" grade.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/06/23

Full Review

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Joseph Ruben

Director

Terry O'Quinn

Jerry Blake

Jill Schoelen

Stephanie

Shelley Hack

Susan

Charles Lanyer

Dr. Bondurant

Stephen Shellen

Jim Ogilvie

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The Stepfather: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Jerry Blake (Terry O'Quinn) is a family man, but he happens to have a series of families, with each one on the receiving end of his murderous ways. When Jerry sets his sights on a lovely widow named Susan (Shelley Hack) and her headstrong daughter, Stephanie (Jill Schoelen), it appears that his brutal pattern of killings will continue. However, Stephanie begins to suspect that there's something wrong with the seemingly well-adjusted Jerry, and a violent confrontation is inevitable.

Director: Joseph Ruben
Distributor: New Century Vista Film Company [us]
Production Co: ITC Productions, Inc.
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 23, 1987, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 26, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.6M
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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