The Stepfather Review *spoilers*

While more people may be familiar with the 2009 version, this review is of the original 1987 version, directed by Joseph Ruben ("The Good Son") and produced by Jay Benson (in his only theatrical production), with the script being written primarily by Donald E. Westlake, the author of the original book.

The plot of the movie follows Susan Maine (Shelley Hack of "Bridesmaids", a TV movie) and her daughter Stephanie (Jill Schoelen of "Babes in Toyland). Susan just got married to a man named Jerry Blake, and seems quite happy with him. However, Stephanie is suspicious of the man, believing him to be too good to be true. Doing some research on her own, she suspects that Jerry is in fact Henry Morrison, a man who killed his family a year ago. Stephanie sets out to find proof, while Jerry grows more and more discontent with his "perfect" family...

The plot is actually quite good. It holds your interest, and has enough twists and turns in it to make you wander if Stephanie is paranoid, or rightly suspicious. As well, there is a subplot with a man named Jim (Stephen Shellen of "La Femme Nikita) tracking down the killer of his sister, the wife in the previous year's killing. It is quite an intriguing subplot, and keeps your interest without overtaking the main plot.

The actors in the roles, much like the plot, do quite well. Susan is the exasperated mother who listens to her daughter, but thinks she is overly paranoid, while Stephanie is the troubled teen trying to prove her stepfather is nothing more than a perfect mask placed over a shattered morality. Both of them are portrayed realistically, and have great chemistry, feeling like a mother and daughter. The standout performer, however is Terry O'Quinn (Locke on "Lost") as the titular stepfather. He is quite a charming man, playing the loving father and husband, as well as a great host at neighborhood barbecues. However, when no one is looking, it's a different story. He wants the perfect family, and he is not going to let anyone get in the way of his picture of the 50's family, placed in the morality of the 1980's. He is the man of the house, and he will be in charge, by default as the only living family member if necessary. Who cares if he has to kill his family? He'll just find a new one. He's done it before, after all.

The movie is actually not very graphic, considering the plot. The opening scene is surprisingly gory and unexpected, but after that, we get very little blood. This is a movie that relies on pure atmosphere and the strength of the actors and their chemistry to get its scares. And boy, does it succeed.

Is the movie perfect? Well, no movie is. The subplot, in the end, turns out only to be a method towards a Deus Ex Machina ending, and some of the moments were comedic, perhaps unintentionally so. However, the actors work quite well together, the story moves at a solid pace, and the script is tight, avoiding the classic mistakes of making characters act like idiots to get the story rolling. The characters, to us, make foolish mistakes, but only because of what we know about Jerry Blake. To them, they are simply checking out a house with a friendly real estate agent. After all, how many real estate agent killers are there?

Unfortunately, this movie is a bit tainted by the rushed sequel (when the movie had a definitive ending, unlike 90% of slasher films), a second sequel that was a TV movie and replaced the main actor, and the watered-down remake. But looking at the film on its own merits, it is one of the better slasher films of the 80's, and well worth the money if you get the chance to buy it.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog, Friday Night Fear Flicks! What I'm going to do here is post a review for a different horror movie every Friday, starting tonight.