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Movies / On DVD / The Stepfather
The Stepfather

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The Stepfather (1987)

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88 %
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Reviews Counted:24

Fresh:21

Rotten:3

Average Rating:6.8/10

Runtime: 90 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: This is the chilling tale of a congenial family man whose engaging smile and staid demeanor insidiously mask a deep-seated dementia. His obsessive desire to live the ideal family life ultimately... This is the chilling tale of a congenial family man whose engaging smile and staid demeanor insidiously mask a deep-seated dementia. His obsessive desire to live the ideal family life ultimately leads to the family's very destruction. [More]

Starring: Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen, Shelley Hack

Starring: Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen, Shelley Hack

Director: Joseph Ruben

Director: Joseph Ruben

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Oct 13, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region [unknown]
  • Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo - English
 
 
 
 

Reviews for The Stepfather

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The Stepfather is the full package: fast-paced, well-acted, suspenseful and brimming with bursts of nasty violence.

Full Review Source: Dread Central | comment Comment
10/16/09
Uncle Creepy
Uncle Creepy
Dread Central

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

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
01/15/08
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness

An engrossing suspense thriller that refreshingly doesn't cheat the audience in terms of valid clues and plot twists.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
09/24/07
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Just when it looked like slasher movies were wholly irredeemable, director Joseph Ruben came along to prove there is some intelligent life in this otherwise bereft subgenre.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
09/24/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide

The Stepfather makes use of a classic fairy tale device--the false parent--but it turns out to have a powerful effect upon one's involvement with the characters.

comment Comment
06/15/07
Douglas Pratt
Douglas Pratt
DVDLaser

A high water mark of 1980s horror/suspense.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
09/04/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

One is left longing for Hitchcock's dark, daring wit and disturbingly amoral insights.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
10/09/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

Borrowing from Hitchcock (Shadow of a Doubt) and Kubrick (The Shining), Ruben's elegant, darkly humorous tale deconstructs patriarchy and can't be divorced from the Republican family values that dominated the 1980 with their 1950s retro feel.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
07/06/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
06/01/05
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
International Press Academy

One of the classiest thrillers to never come out of Hollywood

comment Comment
03/11/05
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Moviehole

Too often disappointingly thin.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/30/04
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
05/14/04
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
10/15/03
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

An inventive, overlooked, classic slasher film from the 80's.

comment Comment
09/12/03
Blake Davis
Blake Davis
KFOR Channel 4 News

Thankfully, director Rubens doesn't take advantage of every opportunity for cheap thrills and gore.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film

No review available.

comment Comment
10/31/02
Brian J. Arthurs
Brian J. Arthurs
Beach Reporter (Southern California)

No review available.

comment Comment
08/15/02
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

A wonderful horror film because the people are so ordinary

comment Comment
08/13/02
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

No review available.

comment Comment
07/26/02
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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all

Latest News for The Stepfather

November 12, 2007: Screen Gems' Stepfather Remake Adds Names
If you've been clinging to the hope that Screen Gems' announced remake of The Stepfather was some kind of cruel trick, you may as well face facts -- it's really happening. And... More...

September 11, 2007: Nelson McCormick Signs on to Direct Stepfather Remake
Apparently, Screen Gems was serious about doing that remake of The Stepfather. More...

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