6 Pies

Reviewed by Yankee

Plot Summary

Serial family man, Jerry Blake wants nothing less than the perfect family. And he's willing to kill for it!

Review

In contrast to what I've said in my review of The Descent, The Stepfather is a movie that I may never have heard of, if not for my British pal. The hype on this movie was SO low in fact that I had never heard of the remake until recently either. That is pretty odd considering that A) I am an 80's horror buff and B) that my favorite sub-genre of horror is slasher. How the Hell did this movie elude me? I'll do you one more before moving on… while the hype may be all but non-existent for this movie; what little bit I have read about it is glowingly positive.

Whether it was sheer luck or all too clever timing on the part of Limey, this is the perfect kind of movie for him to give me as a second gift review. But this wasn't just a lucky break for my tea sipping buddy; this was a golden egg for me too! Having watched horror for as long as I have, it is very rare these days for me to feel that joy that comes with unearthing/watching a classic 80s horror. The sense of nostalgia, the elegance of the scenery, wardrobe, scores and all the things that no modern movie can recapture from that time… and to come from a movie that I did not already know about… well, it all but brought a tear to my eye. I do realize that each rare discovery like this could be the last… thank you, Limey!

Quotes:

Jerry Blake: Buckle up for safety!

Dr. Bondurant: Sounds like you had a strict upbringing.

Jerry Blake: (referring to a family he killed) Maybe they disappointed him…

Sue: Jerry?

Spook Factor: ½ Pie

The main concepts are certainly creepy and our investment in the characters does lend some fear of their fate but there is no mystery to what's going on here. Literally from the very beginning, you know exactly who Jerry is and what he is about. You know what he is up to and what he is capable of; which results in lower anticipation.

Antagonist: ¾ Pie

Ever watch the evening news when they interview the neighbors and friends of serial murderers? They always state how shocked they are. That the killer was the nicest guy and seemed like he wouldn't harm a fly. I'm sure Jerry's neighbors/friends would report the same. What makes Jerry so dangerous is that most people do not know what he is capable of. They never see it coming. And his mid sentence transitions from family man to psychopath and back again give him an almost Hannibal Lecter like advantage.

Story: ½ Pie

The originality and the way Jerry is painted into someone you could love if he weren't a killer (Norman Bates, anyone?) is appealing, but I feel that many of the sub plot devices are met with very little pay off. The “ex brother in-law” piece had a lot of build up but a disappointing conclusion.

Acting: ¾ Pie

The cast runs the full spectrum of talent levels. Most of the lower billed characters are played anyway from mediocre to cliché for a 80s horror film. The supporting casts (Jerry's immediate family) are well played and help sell the story of a family victimized from within. But the performance of the main character by Terry O' Quinn deserves special recognition! I truly believe that no one could have played this role better and that he carried the movie from being good into a being capable of award nominations and cult film status.

Directing:¾ Pie

It hasn't escaped me, the correlation between the scores of Directing and the other categories. If the director does bad work, the other scores reflect that as well. So it should come at no surprise that Joseph Ruben's work as a director is looked upon favorably for this film. And as shown by the above scores, there are some minor problems but he otherwise did a stellar job.

Soundtrack: ½ Pie

For a production that was SO intent on not making “another run-of-the-mill” slasher movie, they sure did have a “run-of-the-mill” 80s slasher music score. Don't get me wrong, the music during the opening credits brought a smile to my face (insert nostalgia here), but the soundtrack was very middle of the road. It does pick up during the climax however.

Special Effects: ½ Pie

What little bit of special effects needed was done decently but the low budget is sorely felt. I'm certain that this was the reason why not many death blows are shown on screen. Well played on the director's part to understand and respect his limitations and work around them.

Gore: ¼ Pie

As stated, many of the death blows are off screen. And it's clear that the budget was low and that the time allotted for production was short. This left us with a minimum amount of gore that was done satisfactory but just isn't impressive.

Replay, Rewatch, Rewind: ¾ Pie

This is a fun movie to watch. It's not terrifying but it does flow well and keeps your interest. Terry O'Quinn's performance never gets old. I look forward to watching this one again soon.

Pros

This is one of the better, obscure horror offerings from what's arguably the most innovative era of horror film. Great acting, good plot development and a villain we enjoy watching.

Cons

Some of the acting is bad enough that it feels out of place. Some of the sub plots didn't pay off well and some of the scenes felt like they were stretched out to fill in time.

Final Word

The Stepfather did for me what very few films can at this point in my life. It brought me back to when I was first exploring horror and made my favorite era of slasher films feel fresh… 25 years later! I am now a fan and look forward to seeing the sequels. Even if they do not measure up, they will remind me of who I was when I first started watching horror.

Wait a minute, who am I here?