Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Stepfather Blu-ray Movie Review

Does the quality of the movie supersede a lackluster A/V presentation?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 7, 2010

Father knows best.

Forget that embarrassment of a Stepfather remake; this is the real mccoy, the one to watch, a worthwhile, gripping, and classic Horror picture that's both frightening and entertaining, not to mention well-made and, frankly, a legitimate motion picture beyond the fact that the remake is, well, a series of moving pictures. Like many of the best genre films, the 1987 edition of The Stepfather comes from the ranks of the small budget movie world; as such, it's certainly nowhere near as slick as the 2009 edition, but Director Joseph Ruben's picture is proof that it's not spit and polish but rather nuts-and-bolts elements like steady direction, good acting, and a quality story that ultimately make this story work. That's not even to mention that's there as underlying sense of despair and anticipation of the Stepfather's eventual meltdown in this version that's completely absent in the remake; this picture gets to the psychological underpinnings of the story whereas the new version simply seems to gloss over them in favor of slapping together a good-looking movie that happens to have a slasher element built-in.

Never make fun of a man in a pink shirt.

Family man Henry Morrison (Terry O'Quinn, "Lost") has just done the unthinkable: he's murdered his family. Trimming his hair and moving to a serene small town in the Northwest, Morrison -- now calling himself Jerry Blake -- one year after the murders marries into another family, this one comprised of mother Susan (Shelley Hack) and teenage daughter Stephanie (Jill Schoelen). With them, he hopes to find what he previous family couldn't provide: his ideal domestic life. Jerry finds work as a real estate agent and does all he can to provide a loving and fruitful atmosphere for his new family. Despite his best efforts, however, Stephanie remains highly suspicious of her new father. She admits her suspicions to her therapist (Charles Lanyer), and when she finds Jerry reacting strongly to a newspaper article about the family slaying one year earlier, she begins her own amateur investigation into her father's personal history. It doesn't take long for Jerry to catch on, signaling the beginning of the end of his latest attempt at creating the perfect American family.

In this day and age, "broken families" are not uncommon; for whatever reason, many don't work, leaving once-happy spouses on the outs and children confused and disappointed. The Stepfather's Jerry Blake takes separation to the extreme; rather than leave, he cleaves and moves on in search, once again, of that all-too-elusive "Leave it to Beaver" style family he so desires. It's that dichotomy between mass murder and the search for the ultimate in peaceful and harmonious familial relationships that makes The Stepfather -- this version, anyway -- so fascinating. In a way, it's easy to sympathize with Jerry; at some base level and underneath the fundamental flaws seems to be a good man in search of what most any man would want -- stability, a loving family -- but his severely disturbed moral compass doesn't allow him to understand that there's no such thing as a perfect family, especially in those in which he enters that have already, for some reason, suffered breakage. He can't differentiate between family squabbles and death knell disagreements; he doesn't seek to build a family on love, trust, and happiness, but he instead seeks to find one already tailor-made for his wants. Rather than take his time and find the right situation for him, he barges headfirst into a relationship, his only criteria, it seems, being that there's a mother and children in need of a father.

The Stepfather tiptoes around Jerry's background; he's obviously a disturbed individual, but it never really constructs a background that explains why he engages in murdering unfit families. That only adds to the paranoia and absolute sense of shock and disbelief the film engenders; it's an intelligent Slasher, a movie that uses its premise for psychological rather than physical terror. There's never any doubt as to what the film's final minutes have in store, but that's never a hindrance to the film. The objective isn't to splatter the screen with blood, but rather to witness Jerry has he devolves once again to a point that he chooses to slaughter another family. With that in mind, Actor Terry O'Quinn proves to be the film's greatest asset. Though the script can be a bit rough around the edges and the picture's budget limitations often in plain sight, O'Quinn brings an unmistakably chilling aura to the picture; he proves capable of turning from all-American dad to psychotic slasher at the drop of a hat, and most importantly, he seems to understand the character through-and-through, even if the audience can't always claim the same. It's a role that he completely devours and one that easily ranks among the best performances ever in a Horror movie.

The Stepfather Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shout! Factory weds The Stepfather with Blu-ray and the results won't leave viewers in a state of marital bliss. The image is very rough, but it does benefit from the high definition treatment. Fine detail ranges from bland to average; the transfer picks up some nice textures on inanimate objects such as clothes and paved streets, but it sometimes fails to capture the more intricate details on faces, leaving characters looking a bit flat. Slight color bleeding is evident at times; the overall color scheme favors a somewhat bland appearance, and the transfer struggles with some difficult color gradations from time to time, notably on the combination that sees bare skin in darker scenes. Flesh tones veer towards a decidedly red shade, while blacks are fairly stable though occasionally crushing out finer details. Additionally, the image is littered with debris, scratches, random blue speckles, and other assorted anomalies. They clear up from time to time but are visible more often than not. While The Stepfather could benefit from a restoration, the material as-is benefits from the improved clarity and stability of the Blu-ray image, particularly when viewing on larger screens.

The Stepfather Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Stepfather slashes onto Blu-ray with a serviceable PCM 2.0 soundtrack; the Dolby TrueHD presentation advertised on the packaging is not included. This one's fairly routine, delivering a forgettable but adequate presentation. The Stepfather is more of a dialogue-driven picture than an effects-heavy and atmospheric Slasher; the spoken word occasionally comes across as squishy and undefined, while there's an occasional bleed-over from the center channel to the front sides. Sound effects, too, lack a more precise definition, and occasionally sound far too loud or a bit too quiet, relatively speaking, in relation to how they match the on-screen visuals. This soundtrack's not built to immerse the listener into the film. It's very basic and not all that impressive, but it gets the job done.

The Stepfather Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, The Stepfather doesn't come with nearly as many supplements as found on some of Shout! Factory's recent Roger Corman releases, but what's here is of a relatively high quality. First up is an audio commentary track with Director Joseph Ruben and Fangoria magazine's Michael Gingold that's well-informed and informative. It enjoys a nice flow with a good deal of back-and-forth banter over plenty of relevant material, including the score, the process of writing the script, character traits and off-screen backgrounds, the quality of the actors, and much more. This track will greatly please the film's fan base. The Stepfather Chronicles (1080p, 26:45) is a well-produced retrospective piece on the film that features cast and crew looking back on a real-life event that inspired the film, the process of writing the script, the picture's tone and absence of a more traditional Slasher style, the casting process, the remake, and more. Rounding out this collection of extras is a hodgepodge of previews, including The Stepfather's original theatrical trailer (1080p, 1:52), the film's video store promo (480p, 2:35), its German trailer (1080p, 1:48), and trailers for both The Stepfather II (480p, 2:06) and The Stepfather III (480p, 1:50).

The Stepfather Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Stepfather doesn't just use its angle as an excuse for another slasher. There's a depth to the character and a (demented) purpose behind his killings, and the true beauty of The Stepfather comes from the effort one must put into deciphering the darker origins behind Jerry's madness. This is a wonderfully-crafted psychological Horror picture; those in search of another run-of-the-mill Slasher will walk away disappointed, but those looking to engage the brain and revel in an absolutely outstanding performance by Terry O'Quinn will find much to love with The Stepfather. Shout! Factory's Blu-ray release of this Horror classic is a bit raw; the technical presentation could use an upgrade, and while the supplements are low in number, they're high in quality. Despite some technical issues, the quality of the movie warrants a purchase. Recommended.