Overview
A chilling tale of a man who will stop at nothing to create his perfect family.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- paranoid
- claustrophobic
- foreboding
- late night horror viewing
- 1980s horror marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an effective psychological slasher distinguished by Terry O'Quinn's unnerving lead performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jerry's pursuit of a perfectly obedient family converts conventional family values into a justification for murder.
Jerry repeatedly alters his appearance and assumes new identities after destroying each family.
Jerry presents himself as an amiable family-values man while concealing his serial-killer behavior.
The family home and domestic routines become the primary spaces for Jerry's increasingly threatening behavior.
Films like The Stepfather, and why
Psycho
domestic paranoia, serial-killer menace, and psychological horror centered on an apparently respectable family figure
Fatal Attraction
suburban domestic threat, escalating suspense, and a predatory outsider embedded in family life
Halloween
slasher structure, stalking tension, and an emotionally vulnerable young protagonist confronting a hidden killer
Play Misty for Me
psychological thriller atmosphere, unstable domestic identity, and violence intruding into seemingly ordinary relationships
Movie Details
- Director
- Joseph Ruben
- Release Date
- 1987-01-23
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (392)
Cast
- Terry O'Quinn
- Jill Schoelen
- Shelley Hack
- Charles Lanyer
- Stephen Shellen
- Stephen E. Miller
- Robyn Stevan
- Jeff Schultz
- Lindsay Bourne
- Anna Hagan
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, Fandor, Night Flight Plus, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Cultpix, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Stepfather about?
- A seemingly ideal stepfather turns suburban family life into a deadly cycle of control, suspicion, and reinvention.
- What is The Stepfather like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Stepfather as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Stepfather violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Stepfather as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Stepfather?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an effective psychological slasher distinguished by Terry O'Quinn's unnerving lead performance.
- Which films are like The Stepfather?
- Films with a similar feel include Psycho, Fatal Attraction, Halloween, and Play Misty for Me.
- How long is The Stepfather?
- The Stepfather runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Stepfather?
- In United States, The Stepfather streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, Fandor, Night Flight Plus, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Cultpix, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel.
