The Stepfather
by Joseph Ruben
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DVD details
Actor: Charles Lanyer, Jill Schoelen, Shelley Hack, Stephen Shellen, Terry O'QuinnDirector: Joseph Ruben
Brand: Universal Studios
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 89 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-10-13
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Model: SF11570
Studio: Shout! Factory
Product features:
- STEPFATHER, THE (DVD MOVIE)
DVD Reviews of The Stepfather
DVD Review: The only reason remaking The Stepfather was a good idea is this long overdue special edition DVD!
Summary: 4 Stars
Ah,yes, it's finally here for mass consumption, the original The Stepfather. I've been waiting for this one for a real long while. It's been on my top ten list of most wanted movies on DVD(which also included Howard The Duck, Night of the Creeps, and The Monster Squad---all on disc now, YAY). This is the real deal when it comes to well made, well acted, ORIGINAL, horror cinema. This is one of the few horror films, which is like Psycho, that is a character driven tale of suspense. Right from the opening shot the audience is aware that Terry O'Quinn's stepfather AKA Jerry is a real mean customer as he walks over the bloody corpses of his previous family. The audience is clued into the malevolence the whole film, unlike the characters which is also a staple rule of Hitchcockian suspense.
All the performances in this film are very good but Terry O'Quinn and Jill Schoelen steal the show. They are both very good and very believable. O'Quinn creates magic on screen creating a character who is a horrible, he has MURDERED CHILDREN--GASPS, but manages to have the audience on pins and needles when he comes close to getting caught. The film and performance manages the miracle of subverting his horrible acts and getting us on his side, similar to Norman Bates in Psycho. Ah, but then there's the teen rebel stepdaughter played by Jill Schoelen. She manages to get our sympathy too. And she's also playing a troubled and troublemaking character. Jill Schoelen has been around the block as far as genre fare goes, and to me she is one of the great beauties to come out of the eighties(Thank you director Joe Ruben for the unnecessary Schoelen nude scene, no matter how brief). Shelly Hack(Charlie's Angels TV show, Troll) plays Jerry's object of family desire and she shakes and traces of her Charlie's Angels past right away and pulls off the suburban housewife act well. You really don't want to see her hurt, even though you also stress over Jerry getting caught.
Now this film is frightening, suspensefull, and in some moments very intense, but my favorite thing about it, besides O'Quinn's masterful performance, is the black comedy. It's so stark and on the money. This is totally a reaction to the Reagan era of the early 80's. Jerry wants the perfect family, yard, the picket fence, family dog, ETC. Sex is not spoke about and not something that is necessary to a marriage but rather a chore. He's repressed, homicidal, neat, Neo-Con of the scariest Dick Cheney order. Even the firm he sells houses for as the American Eagle as it's trademark---the eagle also represents a predator which Jerry himself is as well. The comedy is never too broad, but just right. It all seems natural and not made out of bits or shctick. It comes from the situation and the way crazy 'ol Jerry reacts and switches from balls out crazy to smiling family man of the decade. Terry O'Quinn can not be praised enough for his performance in this film. He makes the whole thing worth it. He was born to play this part. Now I know some of you smarty-pants film students who take everthing you hear in class or read in those nifty books about filmmaking will whine that there's no surprise or suspense in a film where you know who the killer and where the threat is coming from right from the start. I see, STOP READING THOSE DUMB BOOKS AND ACTUALLYY TRY TO BE CREATIVE FOR ONCE! It's much harder and way more fun to portray a film with this structure. It's a master class in how suspense and audience manipulation works. Hell, if people just created stores for film without thinking about structure, conventions, or necessary contrivances(like having you hero be likeable and perfect, having a twist, three acts, blah, blah, blah) a lot more interesting and memorable films will be made.
Now, this new DVD, the only DVD now that I think of it, has three great special features. A feature length commentary by director Joseph Ruben, moderated by Fangoria film critic Michael Gingold, a thirty minute retro making of doc, and the film's original theatrical trailer. The commentary track is good, but a little too dry. Thankfully, Gingold is there to moderate as Ruben seems to have a very sketchy memory and doesn't remember all the details. The making of doc is very comprehenssive and features Ruben, one of the story writers, and the producers, but only Jill Scholen shows up to represent the actors. I really want to hear Terry O'Quinn's thoughts on his iconic character, though maybe he doesn't think it's that iconic now that he has all his Lost fame in view. Now the thing that really bummed me out about Shout Factory's special edition is the transfer itself. It's been remastered but the print isn't cleaned up. There's still visable pops and blemishes all throughout the film. I really have liked them to clean the print. It's has a high grain factor as well. The sequel looks better on disc then the original and that's a damn shame. Why didn't Joseph Ruben supervise the transfer himself. I guess there was enough clout attached to this film to remake it but not shell out the cash to properly transfer it o DVD. I wonder if they will release a Blu Ray where this problem is rectified? This transfer issue is the only reason this baby doesn't get that fifth star, because the film in general is an easy five star joy ride.
Bottom line, if you're a huge fan of this film the retro doc is a must, the commentary may be skippable, but just having this great horror film on your shelf, despite this not being the ultimate transfer of it, this is a no brainer must buy now type of thing. Now get to it, or at least do it before you go through with spending ten bucks on the PG-13 watered down remake.
Description of The Stepfather
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