Entertainment

Original ‘stepfather’ should become a Halloween tradition


Joseph Ruben’s “The Stepfather” (1987) presents a lofty performance by Terry O’Quinn (Lost’s Locke) and a screenplay by crime novelist and screenwriter “The Grifters” Donald E. Westlake.

Although Ruben’s film regularly makes the annual doze horror list, it never received widespread recognition (for horror fans and just movie buffs in general). It deserves.

Videos on YouTube

Few horror movies begin as well as this one, as a shot of a crane brings us to the second story of a lovely two-story house in a beautiful suburb. Inside, we see a bearded man played by O’Quinn, covered in blood, showering and shaving until he looks like a new man.

Although the hair is a bit too neat (he even curls it back), there is an explanation for this in the end. As the man walks down the stairs, we see him leaving a slaughterhouse behind.

It was a horrible start. As he casually leaves the crime scene, he whistles “Races in Camp Town” and the camera pans, indicating that the man will walk away and start over.

We cut to One Year later, and the monster in the opening scene is now Jerry Blake.

FAST FACT: “The Stepfather” barely made a splash at the box office in 1987, generated only $2.4 million next door.

In the time since the crime’s opening, Jerry has been married to a single mother, Susan (Shelly Hack) and now lives in a nice house with Susan and her daughter Stephanie (Jill Schoelen). ). Westlake’s script is smart enough not to waste time with Jerry and Susan’s flirting but instead, shows us this combination is dead.

It’s only a matter of time before he launches again.

The film is 10 minutes long and has a premise set. This is neat, coherent storytelling.

It was delicately photographed by John Lindley, who later served as Director of Photography for the films “The Serpent and the Rainbow” (1988), “Field of Dreams” (1989) and “Pleasantville” (1998).

Patrick Moraz’s score is too constant and uses the compositor too much, one of those 80s scores that doesn’t hold up. The terrible score even blurs the impact of the final scene.

The biggest problem is when plot B begins: Jerry’s murdered wife’s brother comes looking for him. It was horrible, like a break-in from a bad cop TV show. “The Stepfather” never asked for a B plot, because Jerry is so compelling (and the character so unstable), we don’t need a plot device about him being subject to IDs by outside forces.

It’s clear he always only needs one more break to ruin his newest facade.

RELATED: ‘DIRORS IN AISLES’ NAILED ’80s HORROR

The fact that O’Quinn would later play non-villains (such as his heartwarming portrayal of Howard Hughes in Joe Johnston’s “The Rocketeer”) is a testament to his ability as a villain. cast. He’s petrified here.

There’s a scene where he comforts his stepdaughter as she grieve, acknowledging that death may have brought them closer together – the misery of others gives him satisfaction. O’Quinn also has scenes where he’s staring at the camera, which always makes me freeze and hold my breath.

Jerry’s weakness is talking too much. The more he remembers his firm values ​​and self-tormenting past, the more he can’t keep his story/story straight. At work, he claims “What I sell is the American Dream,” even though he’s also selling that.

Stephanie calls her Stepdad “creepy Jerry” and says he “wishes we were like family on TV, smiling and laughing.” She is right. Schoelen’s ’80s Teens Facing Jerry’s Conforming Mindset is a black comedy portrait of the generation gap.

Videos on YouTube

A gripping spin-off shows us Jerry’s plan to start over while still living in his current iteration. He takes the ferry to a new location, disguises things elsewhere, even flirts with a kind widow, then turns back to “Jerry Blake” and returns home before dinner.

Even when the script got complicated (giving Jerry a saying like “You were a very bad girl” too Freddy Krueger-esque), O’Quinn still couldn’t believe it.

Jerry espouses American values ​​above all else. We even saw him watch “Mr. Ed” and quotes “Father Knows Best” and “Rin Tin Tin. ” While showing a house, Jerry announced “the south has the most light”, which made me wonder if Westlake intended that line to land as a social comment (I’m still not sure). sure).

Whatever the topic, Jerry refuses to admit any views that are beyond his own and turns violent whenever his carefully established national beauty pageant and authority is questioned. question. When Jerry asked his stepdaughter a question, it was really a threat or a bogus ultimatum.

Anyone who disagrees with Jerry that family is the most important thing will be in serious trouble. Like Bob Balaban’s “Parents” (1989), this is a great satire that uses the horror genre to illustrate the nasty power game that parents play with their children.

RELATED: ‘HOUSE’ IS MORE RISK than ’80s HORROR MOVIES

Ruben’s film presents a high-concept thriller that still carries social and dramatic weight: what if a ’50s dad turns out to be an 80s teen dad? ‘. In the end, even though Jerry is always engaging and even funny, we’re on Stephanie’s side. She doesn’t want to hear her mother and stepfather from the next bedroom at night and neither do we.

Final results and scrapped scores aside, “The Stepfather” is certainly, smarter than expected and backed up by O’Quinn’s Oscar-worthy performance.

“The Stepfather” was on Entertainment Weekly’s 1999 list of “The Scariest Movies Ever Made.” The sequels and the unfortunate, heavily disabled 2009 remake didn’t come close.

Videos on YouTube

At the time of its release, “The Stepfather” was seen by many as a satire of President Reagan’s innovative views “It’s Morning Again in America”. The political affiliation cannot be coincidental as there is nonetheless a prominent photograph of Reagan in the principal’s office at Stephanie’s school.

In fact, Jerry isn’t all that different from Chip, the psychopath Jim Carrey played in “The Cable Guy” (1996) who was also raised and educated by so much television and whose real name we never know. now known.

It’s a macabre notion, that the “normality” depicted in watered TV sitcoms is the same as what Jerry strives to achieve and maintain, in an age when those values ​​are subdued. considered outdated, silly and inappropriate.

This aspect of “Stepfather” is troubling for its relevance, perhaps more than 1987: in the 21st century, there are still people living in the past who allow nostalgia, long traditions life and unquestioning and unwilling to change to create their actual version. Maintain and send, or other. Jerry Blake never left.

Post Original ‘stepfather’ should become a Halloween tradition appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

news7f

News7F: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button