Stepfather2

Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy (1989)

Terry O’Quinn is back as the stepfather in this follow up to one of the classic horror films of the 1980s. Even though we saw him die at the end of the first movie we see that he has in fact survived his wounds and is now locked up in a mental hospital. The first part of the movie is him slowly manipulating his new shrink until his guard is down allowing an escape attempt. After making his escape he creates a new identity and settles down in an idyllic neighborhood looking for a new family. Setting his sights on Carol and her son Todd he works his way into their lives, getting rid of anyone that gets in his way. It isn’t until his wedding day with Carol that she catches onto the fact that there is something really wrong with him, which sets up a killer finale.

This is one of those strange sequels that is a good movie, while not living up to the original. The first Stepfather movie really is a classic of the genre and is a must see for all horror fans. This movie sort of tweaks the original formula, but is basically the same story. I am glad that the movie takes some time explaining the ending of the first film, so that we aren’t left hanging or with some supernatural “zombie” stepfather thing. Plus the explanation, while simple, is believable and works nicely. I also liked the fact that they injected a bit more of the dark humor into this story. This gives the sequel it’s own slightly different vibe without breaking too far away from the original. In the end though what really makes this movie work is what made the first one so great and that is Terry O’Quinn in the starring role of the stepfather. He is an excellent actor that brings a real creepy presence to the part. He can deliver lines that might sound silly or goofy from other actors, but it sounds scary or dangerous coming from him. This movie also has an excellent cast including Meg Foster, the late Jonathon Brandis (really excellent child actor), and genre favorite Caroline Williams. Solid story and a great cast equals an entertaining movie.

The only negative thing that I have to say about this movie at all is the lack of really good kills. You don’t get to see much happen on screen, and ironically enough what you do see is the result of some re-shoots that the director of the movie was really unhappy with. That said I can understand that this isn’t really meant to be a gory movie, and that the budget didn’t allow for a lot of special effects. Still I like my 80s horror to be a bit bloodier than I get here. The rest of the movie is very solidly made, which is impressive given their shooting schedule and budget restrictions.

Synapse always does a great job on these DVDs and The Stepfather II is no different. Included on the DVD is a 30-minute documentary called The Stepfather Chronicles. It covers how the decision was made to make the movie and how it was picked up for theatrical release. You get great interviews with the director, writer, and producer. Sadly the only cast member that was involved was Caroline Williams, but I have a feeling that was about all they could get. It seems to me that Terry O’Quinn wants to distance himself from this series (I guess because Lost is so much better…). Still all in all I really enjoyed the documentary and recommend that everyone picking up the DVD take the time to watch it.

I’ve waited a long time for this to come out on DVD and I’m very pleased with what Synapse has delivered. The movie holds up and is every bit as good as I remember it and we have a cool little documentary to boot. I highly recommend that everyone head over to www.synapse-films.com/ and find out where they can pick up a copy.

3 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer